Björn Dahlem makes room-sized sculptures that represent abstract concepts of space and matter. His creations are based not on stability, but on fragility which he sees as the defining condition of human knowledge. His low-tech wood and light assemblages allude to cosmic theories and philosophy, re-imagining the ways the universe is understood in startlingly simplified terms.
The material properties of wood and its ubiquitous availability make it a constant in Dahlem’s sculptural repertoire. “Wood allows me very immediate access to my ideas, because what I’m trying to do is to stay as close to the idea and the immaterial image of the imagination.” In some sculptures, wood is paired with light, a symbol of the immaterial and of enlightenment.