In Ruckhäberle’s paintings, interior rooms set the stage for tall young men and women dressed in simple clothes. The dancing, standing, and sitting figures perform a variety of acts, often with blank stares or somber expressions. The characters, composed in classical poses, contrast with the relaxed rooms. These rooms act as theatrical backdrops where play is carried out with grim faces and animated gestures. Using neutral colors and his signature figure-groups, Ruckhäberle transforms public locations into centers for relaxation. Stages with no directors, the paintings become places where boredom and possibility coexist.

In Ruckhäberle’s most recent work, the viewer is able to look at his subject from a new angle – one seems to be watching the scene from under tables, on the ceilings, floating in mid-air. These odd viewing positions extenuate the contorting bodies of his subjects. Perspective is exaggerated and shrunken, legs are stretched, necks curve and everyone seems to be isolated from a game of Twister and placed alone on a stage.