Fifteen years after the high-profile Sonsbeek outside the limits, Sonsbeek '86 is more subdued. This time, in fact, most of the sculptures have been placed in Sonsbeek, about half of which were made especially for the exhibition. Curator Saskia Bos relates to previous Sonsbeek in creating a framework for the exhibition. While during Sonsbeek '71 the artworks in the park were made for a particular spot, now many works are not resistant to the outdoors. Most of the artworks are housed in one of the three glass pavilions, which deliberately look like greenhouses. Bos writes about this in the introduction, "For more than ever, today's artworks are artificial products [sic] that do not adapt to nature, let alone merge with it." The pavilions isolate most of the artworks from the park. Because of their isolation, these works are not only more static and perhaps more art-like, but also more autonomous. The viewer's attention is drawn to the works themselves. In doing so, Bos has focused on works of art that may cause confusion because of their striking skin. Yet other sculptures, however, are far less mysterious.

Sonsbeek '86 created a picture of diverse developments in contemporary sculpture. Some works of art can be characterized as "museum art," while others actually "blend" with park Sonsbeek.