Auckland Art Gallery opens 'Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey' on 7, December — a retrospective highlighting over 30 years of installations, sculptures, and photographs that explore themes of human perception, experimentation, and environmental awareness.
It marks the first solo showcase of Olafur's in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Transitioning from red at the bottom to green at the top, the tiles relate intuitively to the earth, to the soil, and to the greenery of plant life.
The polyhedrons conjured around you may bring associations to the crystals in the soil, the tiny nutrients that give life to us all. The installation, part of a larger initiative by Shinan County that celebrates the region's natural beauty, centers around public art projects that draw attention to reimagining the immediate environment. Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition of new works by Olafur, from October 24 to December 19, The unique fact that colour only materialises when light bounces off a surface onto our retinas shows us that the analysis of colours is, in fact, about the ability to analyse ourselves.
Video: Olafur Eliasson. The work also takes shape online in the global digital space of WeTransfer. Passing through these dynamic spaces, you might notice a blurred shape and colour crossing the advertising screens that usually display crisp, sensational imagery.
At first glance, these ambiguous forms may even be confusing or destabilising. Our cities, as environments, can feel utilitarian when they are primarily dedicated to set modes of commuting or consuming. Online spaces are also increasingly rigidly programmed to be productive and profit-seeking.
