The Magician

I mostly try to avoid writing about the real big shot artists on this blog, mainly because I rarely have anything to add to all that has already been said about them, but there is simply no way to write about contemporary Scandinavian art and avoid the magician of light, mist and colour, also known as Olafur Eliasson.

At Artfacts he is ranked among the top 50 artists of the world, above even Richard Serra and Cézanne. As a comparison, the highest ranking Swedish artist, Ann-Sofie Sidén, only reaches place no 458 on the same chart.

His art has grown increasingly monumental in recent years, with the Weather Project at Tate Modern in 2004 as a sort of end to all installations statement. The huge sun floating in mid air in the gigantic turbine hall was very literarily created with smoke and mirrors, and the mist in the hall even formed into cloud like shapes from the temperature changes.

But what really sets him apart from other artists making light installations is the way he incorporates the audience in his work. One commentator noted that people visiting the Weather Project often lied down on the floor, gazing up at themselves in the mirrors in the ceiling. Sometimes they banded together in small groups, forming signs and words (often naughty words, mind you…).

This is true for other works too. While visiting his exhibition in Århus this commentator found himself walking back and forth trough his Yellow Corridor just to look at how beautiful the other visitors became in the manipulated light.