A fan circles in an irregular orbit above our heads, water squirts up in cascades, and in another room we can walk in a labyrinthine architecture of coloured space. These works are part of the exhibition “Olafur Eliasson: Reality machines“, organised by Moderna Museet (Stockholm) in association with ArkDes (the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design).
Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967, Denmark/Iceland) is one of the most acclaimed international artists today. Since the early 1990s, his works have been presented in countless exhibitions all over the world.
Eliasson uses a variety of media, including sculpture, photography, film and installation, but he also creates architectural projects and site-specific pieces for public spaces. Light, wind and water in every conceivable form feature prominently. And yet, nature is present in the works as material rather than as subject matter.
In the encounter with Eliasson’s installation, it is not always obvious where the art object ends and the viewer begins. The focus shifts from the art object itself to the actual experience of seeing. Eliasson’s works also give rise to situations that challenge, renegotiate and reinterpret our perception of reality.
Perception is central to Olafur Eliassons’s oeuvre. He has described his works as devices for experiencing reality, thus creating new perceptions of the world. It is a matter of becoming aware of what we see, but also of being aware of ourselves in the act of seeing. Or, as the artist puts it, “seeing yourself seeing”, of acknowledging our presence and our participation.
Olafur Eliasson: Verklighetsmaskiner/Reality machines
03.10.2015 – 17.01.2016
Discover: www.modernamuseet.se
