Olafur Eliasson: Symbiotic Seeing

Kunsthaus Zürich

Exhibition catalogue, edited by Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft / Kunsthaus Zürich
texts (English) by Donna J. Haraway, Caroline Jones, Josefine Klougart, Bruno Latour, Lynn Margulis, Timothy Morton, and a conversation between Olafur Eliasson and Mirjam Varadinis, the curator of this exhibition
192 p with 100 coloured illustrations
310 x 235 mm, Swiss brochure

ISBN 978-3-86442-302-4

 

(out of print)

Where Art Draws from Nature

Following the spectacular exhibition of his work in London, Olafur Eliasson (*1967) will be present­ing at the beginning of 2020 an entirely new installation specifically developed for the Kunsthaus Zürich. It is precisely these large-sized works by the ­Danish-Icelandic artist that attract viewers as if by magic. Olafur Eliasson points out that his core interest is the experience of the ­physical ­encounter with the work itself. For years, he has been one of the most important contem­porary ­artists addressing early on the theme of sustain­ability and now appeals to a large number of ­viewers with his themes on ecological issues. The book and exhibition therefore revolve around our relationship with other species and life forms on Earth. Olafur Eliasson’s advocacy of a worldview of coexistence and collaboration becomes ever more apparent when he transforms the ­museum space into an immersive installation engag­ing our senses. We are reminded of scientific arrangements that explore physical natural phe­nomena such as light, water, movement and reflection, with­out remaining in the abstract or formal framework of purely scientific experiments. The immediate experiential space that the artist creates in generating an endur­ing resonating body on themes such as climate change, migration and the exploitation of our ­planet’s resources. Olafur Eliasson succeeds in translating these essential questions and social concerns into a formal language that not only ­appeals to the viewers’ intellect, but also touches and moves them emotionally.

Exhibition:
Kunsthaus Zürich, 17/1–22/3/2020