Rudolf Stingel's engagement with Celotex insulation materials represents a notable phase in his exploration of painting and installation art. His innovative use of Celotex, an aluminum-coated insulation board, challenges traditional artistic mediums and invites a participatory experience, blurring the lines between the creator and the audience. In his 2001 solo exhibition at the Museum d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Trento, Italy, Stingel transformed the exhibition space by covering every available surface with Celotex, allowing visitors to leave their own marks on the malleable silver surface. This gesture democratized the act of creation, positioning doodles, scribbles, and graffiti as valid forms of artistic expression and questioning the notion of individual genius traditionally associated with the artist's mark​ (Ocula Art)​.

These installations were not isolated incidents but part of Stingel's broader practice, reiterated in significant exhibitions such as the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003 and his mid-career retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 2007. At these venues, the use of Celotex served not only as a canvas but also as a means to engage with the themes of memory, time, and the materiality of painting itself. The interactive nature of these works, combined with the use of industrial materials, underscores Stingel's ongoing investigation into the possibilities and boundaries of painting​ (Ocula Art)​.

Moreover, Stingel's Celotex works from these participatory installations were later cast in gold, transforming the ephemeral marks of interaction into luxurious, preserved artifacts. Exhibited at Gagosian's Hong Kong gallery in 2015, these gold-plated panels derived from the 2007 installations extend the conversation on art's creation and preservation, juxtaposing the fleeting nature of human touch against the timelessness of gold​ (Art Asia Pacific)​. Through these acts, Stingel continues to redefine the viewer's role in art creation, making his Celotex and gold-plated works emblematic of his approach to contemporary painting and installation art.