Ahatfenster 2009

This stained-glass window, Ahatfenster, is by the German artist Sigmar Polke. It is made from slices of agate. Imagine Polke selecting the stones: each unique in color and pattern, like miniature paintings formed by nature over millennia. The slices are arranged in a seemingly random, yet carefully considered composition. Each stone feels like a gesture of intent, a brushstroke of geological time. I love the way the light filters through, creating a shimmering kaleidoscope. You can feel Polke’s sensibility here, he’s always experimenting and open to chance. The translucence of the agate, the way it reveals its inner world, and the juxtaposition of the stones, create a sense of wonder and mystery. In so many ways, Polke’s work is a conversation with other artists, like Gerhard Richter, exploring the boundaries of abstraction and representation. Like an artist's constant pursuit of new ways of seeing and knowing, the window offers a sense of contemplation and transformation.