Today one of the most acclaimed contemporary sculptors, Tony Cragg has been interested in minerals and fossils since he was a young boy. Over the years has amassed a very extensive rock collection that serves as a constant source of artistic inspiration for his unique aesthetic based on organic forms found in nature. Over the years, Cragg has given expression to this distinctive formal language in a wide variety of materials, including bronze, steel, wood, and glass. Through meticulous selection, variation, and recombination, he has approached natural forms in his very own artistic manner. "Ever since I was a child, I have been impressed by nature. I would like to make works that have the same effect on me as nature has. I know that's naive. Nature has had billions of years of practice and does wonderful things." (Tony Cragg, quoted from: ex. cat. Skulpturenpark Schwante. Sculpture & Nature, Schlossgut Schwante, June to October 2020, p. 22.) In the truest sense of the word, however, Tony Cragg's creations are also "miraculous"; beginning with the "Early Forms" of the 1980s, they have always fascinated the viewer with their extraordinary aesthetics and the way they put our viewing habits to the test. But it is Cragg's sought-after, highly polished monumental sculptures of the later years, constructed from shaped stainless steel sheets and then hand-polished, that captivate the viewer in a very special way. They invite us to walk around them and experience their presence in space from every angle. Unlike the artist - who is more of an introverted loner, the spectacular creations of Cragg are not humble at all, on contrary, they take center stage, they are the undisputed stars in any room. No one can escape their fascinating aesthetic impression; they ask for attention and admiration. And so the high-gloss hand-polished stainless steel surface of "Distant Cousin" quickly takes us under its spell and invites us to explore it. The compact, dynamic style of this sculpture is unusual, the basic structure of which is vaguely reminiscent of fossilized shell and bone formations. Unlike the layered discs of the works from the "Points of View" group, it is based less on Cragg's enthusiasm for geological layers and more on the extraordinary rock formations that the Earth has hidden over thousands of years. "Distant Cousin" is characterized by a special inner dynamism, which powerfully extends into the room on all sides. An indefinite inner force seems to determine the form of the impressive aesthetics of the present sculpture, which turns the inside outwards and powerfully brings to the surface what lies hidden at its core. [JS]