A deeply spiritual relationship with nature and commitment to eastern philosophies of purity and simplicity characterize the works of the German sculptor Wolfgang Laib. Since the mid-1970s, Laib has created individual objects and installations of austere beauty, using marble and organic elements such as milk, pollen, rice, and beeswax.

Surveying 25 years of his artistic production, this traveling retrospective will, for the first time, introduce the complete range of the artist's work to new audiences in the United States. Other works included will be The Rice Meals (1993), consisting of rice and pollen heaped on brass plates commonly used in India to bring food and flowers to the temple; several "rice houses," sculpted from red sealing wax or white marble surrounded by rice; an example of Laib's "wax rooms," built with large panels of scented beeswax; and his most recent body of work featuring beeswax "ships," which the artists often installs in a serial progression on wooden scaffolding inspired by his visit to Tibetan monasteries.

Wolfgang Laib: A Retrospective was organized by the American Federation of Arts. Major support for the San Diego presentation of Wolfgang Laib: A Retrospective comes from MCASD's premiere membership group, the International Collectors, with in-kind support provided by Parmalat USA.