Icelandic-Danish Artist Olafur Eliasson’s Exhibition Makes Its Southeast Asian Debut At The Singapore Art Museum

Art is said to have the ability to transport minds elsewhere and challenge perception, Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson undoubtedly stands on top among those who do. And for all of us right here in Singapore, you’ll be glad to know that our very own Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is now home to the Southeast Asian debut of his survey exhibition. 

SAM is the travelling exhibition’s first stop, before it moves on to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in New Zealand, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan, Museum MACAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Manila, Philippines.

Since 1997, Artist Eliasson’s works have appeared in major museums around the globe, mainly focusing on installations, paintings, sculptures, photography, and film that make use of elemental materials such as light, wind, fog, and water to create trippy and unreal experiences for his viewers. In 2019, Eliasson was graced with the title ‘UNDP Goodwill Ambassador’ for climate action. And in 2023, he received the ‘Praemium Imperiale’ for outstanding contributions to the development, promotion, and progress of the arts from the Japanese Imperial Family.

At Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey, uncover 17 main works on display that provide an overview on the themes and environmental concerns explored throughout the artist’s three-decade-long practice. There will also be never-before-seen works and Singapore-exclusive installations only available at this leg of the travelling show.

The exhibition commences right at level 1 with his piece Yellow Corridor (1997). A series of single-frequency yellow lights brightens the pathway of Galleries 1 and 2, beckoning an eerie bodily sensation within the space, where the usual spectrum of colours appears muted and awash in hues of grey. And this is just the beginning. Up next is his most iconic work, Beauty (1993), is next. Here, you’ll get a clearer understanding of Eliasson’s fascination with challenging our awareness of perception. Within the piece, a delicate mist is illuminated by a single spotlight in a dim environment. When observed from a specific angle, a dazzling reflection of light emerges as a radiant rainbow. However, due to the varying refraction and reflection of light on the droplets, each observer witnesses a unique rainbow. Viewers are then invited to contemplate: Does the rainbow exist independently, or does it exist because we perceive it?

The two Singapore-exclusive works are Symbiotic seeing (2020) and The cubic structural evolution project (2004). The first one plays with laser lights and fog to create a marvellous spectacle of swirling fog, flowing along with our movements within the space, while the other invites participants to transform Lego cityscapes with heaps of Lego bricks laid out on a long table.

SAM’s show will also include two of his newer works: The last seven days of glacial ice (2024) and The seismographic testimony of distance (Berlin–Singapore, no. 1 to no. 6) (2024). In The Last Seven Days of Glacial Ice (2024), a segment of ice sourced from a nearby glacier at Diamond Beach in southern Iceland is depicted in its progressive stages of melting. Each stage is represented by a bronze cast, accompanied by a transparent glass orb symbolising the volume of water lost. This portrayal highlights the gradual depletion of the ice, emphasising the pressing need for climate action. 

The Seismographic Testimony of Distance (Berlin–Singapore, no. 1 to no. 6) comprises a series of seismographic sketches generated by Eliasson’s drawing machines, which were installed in the shipping crates transporting most of the artworks showcased in this exhibition. These sketches trace the voyage of the artworks from Berlin to Singapore via sea rather than air. This artwork not only requires maritime transportation but also emphasises the conscientious consideration of the exhibition’s carbon footprint, evident in both the content and the creation process of Eliasson’s artworks and exhibitions. This particular piece of work is a special one as it is an ongoing piece – it will continue to develop as the exhibition travels to other stops over a three-year timeframe.

Find out more about Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey here, and download the exhibition brochure here.