The artist: Olafur Eliasson
Again, about Contemporary Nordic Art, Olafur Eliasson is a Danish-Icelandic artist known for sculptures and large-scale installations, employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air. In 1995 he established Olafur Eliasson Studio in Berlin, a laboratory for spatial research. The studio now consists of a team of about 35 people, from craftsmen and specialised technicians, to architects, artists, archivists and art historians, cooks, and administrators. They work with Eliasson to experiment, develop, produce, and install artworks, projects, and exhibitions, as well as archiving, communicating, and contextualising his work.
© Olafur Eliasson
Eliasson represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003 and later that year installed The Weather Project (2nd pic below) in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, London. By introducing ‘natural’ phenomena, such as water, mist or light, into an un specifically cultivated setting, be it a city street or an art gallery, the artist encourages the viewer to reflect upon their understanding and perception of the physical world that surrounds them. As Tate’s curators wrote, this moment of perception, when the viewer pauses to consider what they are experiencing, has been described by Eliasson as seeing yourself sensing.
© Olafur Eliasson
Overcoming Land Art, Eliasson has engaged in a number of projects in public space, and some works of the last year are: Innen Stadt Außen, Mikroskop, Multiple shadow house, The curious museum. While in 2009: 360° Compass, Berliner Treibholz, Starbrick, Sunspace for Shibukawa, The Moving Museum. Last solo shows were: Innen Stadt Außen at Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Olafur Eliasson & Ma Yansong: Feelings are facts at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing; and Your chance encounter at Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. But also Take your time: Olafur Eliasson at MoMA and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York and at SFMoMA.
