« Rainer Gross's in situ installations are assemblages of hundreds of wooden elements. They enable the construction of large shapes which blend with their immediate environment. Therefore, they always relate to a given situation and location, whether they are set outdoors or inside buildings.
First and foremost, Rainer Gross's installations are « sculptures ». As objects, they are apprehended through the prism of the senses. Their interpretation depends on each person's sensitivity to their three-dimensionality and physical presence, their tactile aspect and graphic quality, as a « spatial drawing ». In the meantime, the choice of the shapes used can also lead to another level of interpretation based on the representation of the ephemeral and unstable nature of all things, and the ultimate futility of human actions. Due to the unique and recognisable assemblage process used by the artist, his installations look « monumental » : the sheer size and shape of each construction means the onlooker can actually feel it both physically and emotionally.
Most of the time, not only are onlookers able to observe and move around the installations, but they are also able to walk through them. Depending on the distance and angle of observation, their order of magnitude compared to the architecture and nature of their surroundings evolves, opening up new spatial perspectives. »
Source : Dialogue/Dialoog exhibition (De Markten Cultural Centre, Brussels, 2008).
