In ”The Spine”, Cragg takes the spine as his starting point. The rounded forms are stacked on top of one another and offset in relation to each other, creating a twisting, upward movement. The shape evokes the human body, but also vegetation and other organic structures. It is characteristic of Cragg to begin with something familiar and then guide the form towards a more abstract expression.

”The Spine” is made of glass, a material that lends the sculpture a distinctive character. Its dark, polished surface captures the light and reflects the surrounding space. As the viewer moves around the work, both its silhouette and the play of light across its surface change. What initially appears to be a solid, weighty form thereby takes on a lighter and more fluid presence.

”The Spine” clearly demonstrates Cragg’s ability to transform a simple point of departure into a complex sculptural form. The association with the spine remains, yet in glass it becomes something more — an autonomous form in constant transformation, shaped by light, space and the viewer’s position.

Cragg has long been interested in structures found in the body, nature and science. Works such as ”Chromosomes”, ”Molecular Composition”, ”Mineral Vein” and ”Wirbelsäule” reflect this interest. For Cragg, form is not merely something to be represented, but a means of exploring how we perceive the world around us.

His international breakthrough came in 1988, when he was awarded the Turner Prize and, in the same year, represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale. In 2007, he received the Praemium Imperiale for sculpture. Throughout his career, Cragg has worked with materials including plastic, wood, stone, bronze, steel and glass. His interest lies not only in the appearance of a material, but also in how it can transform form. This is particularly evident in his use of glass, where the material’s weight and transparency, the reflections of light and the sculptural form interact to create a work that is experienced differently from every angle.

In the 1970s, Cragg began working with found objects and industrial materials, placing them in new contexts. Although his later sculptures are often more distilled in form, the same spirit of investigation remains. He has also held professorships at institutions including the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2005, he founded the Cragg Foundation and Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden in Wuppertal, which opened in 2008.

Cragg also has close ties to Sweden through his summer studio on the island of Tjörn and his recurring exhibitions in the country, including at Pilane. His contribution to international sculpture is further recognised by the European Culture Prize 2026, which he is to receive in recognition of his longstanding artistic practice and influence on the contemporary art scene. Through his artistic practice and his work with Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden in Wuppertal, Cragg has also helped establish the city and North Rhine-Westphalia as an important international destination for contemporary sculpture.