“The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents Olafur Eliasson: In real life, a survey of the career of Olafur Eliasson (1967), one of today’s most prominent artists. Through around 30 works created between 1990 and 2020 – including sculptures, photographs, paintings, and installations – the exhibition challenges the way we navigate and perceive our environment, leading us to reflect on the urgent issues of today.
Eliasson’s art derives from an interest in perception, movement, embodied experience, and feelings of self. Central to his artistic practice are his concern with nature, inspired by time spent in Iceland; his research into geometry; and his ongoing investigations into how we perceive, feel about, and shape the world around us. His practice extends beyond making artworks and exhibitions to include public interventions and architectural projects.” — Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Olafur Eliasson. Beauty, 1993. Spotlight, water, nozzles, wood, hose, pump. Dimensions variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles © 1993 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Moss wall, 1994. Reindeer moss, wood, wire. Dimensions variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 1994 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Room for one colour, 1997. Monofrequency lamps. Dimensions variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 1997 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Model room, 2003. Wood table with steel legs, mixed media models, maquettes, prototypes. Dimension variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Moderna Museet, Stockholm. Purchase 2015 funded by The Anna-Stina Malmborg and Gunnar Höglund Foundation © 2003 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Your atmospheric colour atlas, 2009. Fluorescent lights, color filter foil (red, green, blue), aluminum, steel, ballasts, haze machine. Dimensions variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020 ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark © 2009 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Your uncertain shadow (colour), 2010. HMI lamps (green, orange, blue, magenta), glass, aluminium, transformers. Dimension variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Vienna © 2010 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. In real life, 2019. Aluminum, color-effect filter glass (green, yellow, orange, red, pink, cyan), bulb, LED light. Diameter 208 cm. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020 Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Big Bang Fountain, 2014. Water, strobe light, pump, nozzle, stainless steel, wood, foam, plastic, control unit, dye. 165 x 160 x 160 cm. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York/Los Angeles © 2014 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. The glacier melt series, 1999/2019, 2019. 30 C-prints, each 31 x 91 x 2.4 cm. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. The presence of absence pavilion, 2019. Bronze, 200 x 100 x 100 cm. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Waterfall, 2019. Scaffolding, water, wood, plastic sheet, aluminium, pump, hose. Height 11 metres; diameter 12 metres. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Runa Maya Mørk Huber / Studio Olafur Eliasson © 2017 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life was organized by the Tate Modern in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. It was curated by Mark Godfrey, Senior Curator, International Art, Tate Modern, and Lucía Agirre, Curator, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
Images courtesy Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.