Olafur Eliasson

Olafur Eliasson is a Danish-Icelandic artist known for his monumental sculptures and installations that highlight phenomena of the natural world. Light, water, fog and air are his mediums of choice, wielding these elements to create immersive environments within museums and public spaces. One of Eliasson’s most well-known projects, for instance, is The Weather Project shown in 2003 at the Tate Modern in London, which simulated the sun and the slow evaporation of morning mist. In order to realize his ambitious projects, he established a studio in 1995 with more than 100 architects, researchers, assistants, and other specialist advisors. Eliasson’s artworks ultimately prioritize experience over method or materiality, aiming to expand viewers’ perceptions of and relationships to nature. In recent years, his work has explicitly addressed modern environmental challenges such as glacial melting and access to clean electricity.

Eliasson is not only one of the most celebrated installation artists but also a leading environment artist, alongside his predecessors Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Born in Copenhagen in 1967, he grew up between Iceland and Denmark, and in 2003 he earned the honor of representing Denmark at the Venice Biennale. He has received numerous awards for his achievements, including the Wolf Prize in Painting and Sculpture, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture and the Joan Miró Prize. In addition to having shown his workings in traveling exhibitions around the world, Eliasson has produced a number of permanent installations at venues including ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Bard College, The Israel Museum and MIT Cambridge. Eliasson currently lives and works between Copenhagen and Berlin. 

-       Your Rainbow Panorama, 2006-2011, installation at the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Denmark

-       The speed of your attention, 2018 Silvered colored glass (shades of pink, purple, olive, yellow and grey), glass mirror, aluminum 45 1/4 x 86 5/8 x 1 3/8 inches; 115 x 220 x 3.5 cm

-     Moving together, 2018 Glass spheres, paint (black), stainless steel 82 7/8 x 68 15/16 x 21 7/8 inches; 210 x 175 x 55 cm  

-       Diurnal rise, 2018 Driftwood, colored glass (orange fade, light blue fade) 30 3/8 x 45 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches; 77 x 116 x 12 cm

-       Straight back, 2018 Colored glass (transparent, dark grey), gold, stainless steel, paint (black), LED lights Diameter: 26 3/8 inches; 67 cm