Through his art, Kubica explores the fragility of our environment. His artistic practice is marked by an overarching theme of rediscovery, which draws parallels with the fieldwork of an archaeologist and leads Kubica towards new perspectives on the ever-expansive present.
The artwork is made from one of the oldest and rarest woods: 3,370-year-old subfossil oak. It is found on the former riverside of the Elbe River near Prague. The wood was extracted from a depth of 8 meters underwater with the help of divers and heavy machinery. It is characterized by its unique texture, dark colors, and high hardness, which give it a natural shine.
Subfossil oak is non-petrified wood that has been hidden for hundreds to thousands of years in glacial sediments. Subfossil oak is also known as black oak due to its change in color, which results from long-term storage in various sediments and the reactions of the sediment's iron components with the tannins in the oak. The intensity of the color is primarily determined by the length of time the wood has been buried and the nature of the deposits. In this state, the wood is well protected against decomposition by microorganisms, especially fungi.
