Notion Motion
Notion Motion
'physical engagement is a thought process too, as the process of thought is a
physical relation' - Olafur Eliasson
After his highly-praised large yellow ’sun’ at the Tate Modern in 2003, Olafur
Eliasson has developed a special project for the three largest galleries of the
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The presentation can be seen from 8
October 2005 until 8 January 2006.
During the past ten years Olafur Eliasson (1967), who grew up in Copenhagen, has
built up an oeuvre consisting of rainbows, sunsets, waterfalls, scent walls, mist,
shafts of light and periscopes. His work navigates between natural phenomena and
technology. Eliasson’s work makes the spectator aware of his perception; it makes,
as it were, the perception tangible. Eliasson’s installations also refer to age-old
themes in art history, such as the sublime, beauty and the visionary. Olafur
Eliasson is one of the most successful artists of his generation, with countless
solo exhibitions in prominent museums all over the world. Moreover, Eliasson has
contributed strongly to the concept of ‘perception’ becoming one of the guiding
tendencies in the visual arts of the past five years. He lives and works in Berlin
and Copenhagen.
Light and water
For Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Eliasson has developed one big installation
focusing on the visualization of light-waves, visualized by means of a varying
interaction of light and water. This process is presented on a monumental scale in
the galleries of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Eliasson’s work plays with the idea
that a conscious perception carries within it the potential for change. Many of his
installations are based on the question: ‘Where in society can we still use our
senses to define our surroundings, rather than just being defined by our
surroundings by means of the commodification of our bodies?’ The fact that a direct
relationship emerges, in Eliasson’s work, between the individual/the visitor and his
surroundings, makes the individual aware of the possibilities to change these
surroundings himself. The surroundings do not play a central part, the individual
does.
With kind support of:
Mondriaan Stichting, Stimuleringsfonds beeldende kunst, vormgeving en museale
activiteiten.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museumpark 18- 20 3015 CX Rotterdam the Netherlands
Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10.00 to 17.00 hrs
Sundays and public holidays, 11.00 to 17.00 hrs
Closed on Mondays, January 1st, April 30th and December 25th