Light, color explode in Eliasson's world
"The exploration of the centre of the sun" by Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy of the artist and PKM Gallery
By Kwon Mee-yoo
"Color experiment no. 32" by Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy of the artist and PKM Gallery
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson continues to experiment with nature, especially light and energy, in a new exhibition "Models for Coexistence" at PKM Gallery in central Seoul.
Eliasson, who finished a major retrospective at the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul earlier this year, presents his latest works at the Seoul-based gallery.
The centerpiece of the exhibit would be "The exploration of the centre of the sun," a sculptural installation that consists of a solar panel and a lamp. There is a sculpture with a solar panel installed on the second level which is connected to a battery on the first floor. The battery lights up a lamp that omits different amounts of light according to sunlight.
The piece reflects Eliasson's interest in solar energy as the power source of the future. The artist explained that the glass covering of the solar panel amplifies the intensity of light and provides higher quality light to the panel.
"In the future, houses will be covered with alternative energy systems such as solar energy," he said.
"Visual mediation" is a wall-mounted installation of 80 solid glass spheres. "It's in fact a mirrorsphere," Eliasson said of the artwork. Some of the glass spheres are clear, while others are covered in reflective silver and all the mirrors are arranged in a circular pattern keeping the light inside.
"It looks like a mandala, but the mirror eclipses you and you cannot see yourself if standing in the center. It has a meditative quality," Eliasson explained. "I have been interested in dematerializing. Light and mirror are ephemeral.”
Olafur Eliasson
Eliasson's works speak through various geometrical languages. The wall piece "Pebbles on the beach (parquet)" is a mosaic of wooden tiles made from 15 different types of wood. It represents a geometric pattern that produces an illusion of numerous 3D forms found in nature.
"Endless doughnut" is a metal sculpture in the shape of a continuous ring. "It is the shape of our universe," the artist said.
His 3D paintings using mirrors and color spectrum are also on display. "It is an attempt to paint daylight in two ways. I do these smaller light and color experiments in my studio," the artist said.
"I used to spectrograph and measure nanometric light _ how to split white light into different colors. Light is constantly changing and you get different light depending on where you are on the Earth. Every place has a DNA of light, though for humans it is difficult to see exact differences. These paintings are my interpretation of light."
The exhibit is on view until June 20. For more information, visit pkmgallery.com or call 02-734-9467.