Architectural ruins

The work by Artur Klinau and the sculptor Andrei Varabyou makes use of natural materials found in the surrounding environment. Monumental architectural forms were erected in the open space at the foot of the quarry. Two gates resemble relics of ancient civilizations such as triumphal arches. Klinau ironically juxtaposed the matter and the form by replacing stone, the traditional building material, by brittle, short-lived straw. He emphasizes the duality of straw which can be perceived as a second-class by-product and harvest waste made of withered stalks of plants, as well as a graceful, soft, plastic material glistening in the sun like gold. The artist explores the relations between the constant and the transient, the valuable and the worthless, questioning criteria applied to verify these qualities.

The monumental gates mimic stone structures but are in fact a wooden frame filled with straw. The straw has been subdued, placed within a rigid construction and subjected to the discipline of the form. The gates are a subversive metaphor referring to advances of civilization and the ethos of man-made architecture contrasted with intact, unspoilt nature.