Photo: Supplied
Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson describes his work as using “the medium of people”.
Olafur Eliasson, The weather project, 2003. Installation view: Tate Modern, London, 2003. Photo: Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2003 Olafur Eliasson
It's this key aspect of the influence of the viewer on his art, our unique sensory experience, which has earned him the reputation as one of the most innovative artists of our time.
Best known for his immersive installations with light, water, and air, Eliasson's work includes 'The Weather Project' - a giant sun in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern in London, and the spectacular public work 'New York City Waterfalls'.
His retrospective exhibition, Your Curious Journey, at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki brings together a diverse range of works from the artist's 30-year career - and marks the first solo show for the artist in Aotearoa.
Culture 101 spoke to him from Berlin, where Studio Olafur Eliasson is based, with a team of over 100 people helping bring his visions to life.
Photo: Anders Sune Berg; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA © 1993 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson's Under the weather, Florence 2022 Photo: Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio
Olafur Eliasson, Firefly biosphere (falling magma star), 2023 Photo: David St George
Olafur Eliasson, Life is lived along lines, 2009; Installation view: Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, 2024; Photo: David St George
