Asphaltos Phos

Asphaltos, one of the earliest known binding agents, has been used by civilizations for millennia; from ancient Mesopotamian structures to the vast asphalted expanses of modern cities. Drawing on the elemental and symbolic power of crude oil, Rackowe’s work delves into the material’s ancient origins and its contemporary role in shaping the social and spatial structures of the urban landscape. In his hands, bitumen becomes a medium that carries both geological time and the imprint of human intervention. Its weight and darkness are countered by elements of light, or ‘phos’ – the Greek word for a pure, brilliant illumination revered in antiquity as a symbol of truth, knowledge, and transcendence toward higher levels of existence – creating spatial, sensorial and philosophical juxtapositions that reflect upon our development as a species.

Across older works and new commissions, Asphaltos Phos orchestrates a structural symphony where surfaces, structures, and luminescence converge, inviting the viewer to interact with the sculptures and reconsider the overlooked textures of the urban fabric and the infrastructures that shape our daily experience. The sculptures function as spatial poems, offering a meditative commentary on modernity’s material legacy, the shaping of space, and the social phenomena tethered to energy, movement, and transformation.

Based on extensive research and spatial observation, Rackowe’s practice continues to evolve at the intersection of art and architecture, responding to the built environment while uncovering hidden narratives beneath its fabric. His artistic explorations are often paralleled to Matta Gordon-Clark’s ‘Anarchitectures’, Dan Flavin’s radical use of light, and Bruce Nauman’s pioneering environmental installations that use light and space to trigger interaction and manipulate perception. However, Rackowe’s oeuvre, deeply influenced by constructivism, neoplasticism, and the reductionist clarity of Bauhaus and De Stijl, pushes further the boundaries of the avant-garde legacies and post-minimalism offering multilayered interpretations and new aesthetic paradigms.

Ultimately, Asphaltos Phos unfolds as both an inquiry and an encounter; an exploration of matter and metaphor, of the ground we walk on and the light that guides us forward, of the darkness that frames all illumination.

The solo exhibition at Varvara Roza Galleries, curated by Vassiliki Tzanakou, coincides with the unveiling of Rackowe’s site specific outdoor light installation Desired Lines  at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Southbank Centre’s Winter Light, curated by Cedar Lewisohn, continuing an ongoing series of geometric light sculptures he has developed since 2006. Across all scales, viewers are invited to not only to experience, but also to journey through and around the work, becoming active participants.