Here, we will see and analyze the various works and exhibitions of Eliasson.

Your Spiral View, 2002

One of his earlier works, Eliasson’s Your Spiral View is a kaleidoscopic abstract piece that was initially displayed in Switzerland.  steel plates that are assembled into two sets of spirals, that coil in opposite directions. The jagged walls make a constant and strange reflection of whoever is walking through it, in an almost dizzying spectacle. This piece is filled with meanings of self-observation and introspection, Eliasson always wanting viewers to look inward for deeper understanding of the self and the world around them. The sculpture was used again in Madrid as an entryway to the Palacio de Cristal, surrounded by a field of lava, and again in Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg.

Atlantis, 2003

Atlantis is a “constructed nature” sculpture displayed in the Hamburger Bahnhof museum. Eliasson took the garbage he found in the studio’s backyard, and during winter, used a sprinkler to coat the trash in ice. The photo above was actually taken at night, the light seen is from lamps strategically placed above to give a strange lighting. The iceberg-like appearance, the usage of trash as a base, and the sculpture’s name give off a global warming message, weighing in on our dumping of garbage into the ocean, and how the mythical sunken city of Atlantis can be compared to the melting of the ice caps.

The Weather Project, 2004

The Weather Project was an installation unveiled at the Turbine Hall, in the Tate Modern in London. This  installation employed a semi-circular screen, a ceiling of mirrors, and artificial mist to create the illusion of a sun. One gigantic mirror was placed on the ceiling, doubling the volume of the hall and letting patrons see themselves from above. With 200 mono-frequency lights, the semi-circle and its reflection created the image of an indoor sunset seen through the mist seeping into the room. The work is cosmic in nature, aligning with Eliasson’s plethora of space-related sculptures, giving the patrons a sense of grandeur with the importance of our sun, and the elements of the weather, and just how small our earthly problems really seem to be from a cosmic perspective.

Waterfall, 2004

Waterfall is a combination of organic and non-organic elements in the form of a semi-natural waterfall, another “constructed nature” sculpture. Iron bar scaffolding makes the bulk of the installation, which seems to make a statement about other constructed waterfalls, bringing about the truth that while they may seem real, they are just artificial to bring atmosphere, and this sculpture instead chooses to bare it all instead of using fancily made fake rocks or moss. It could be learned from this that we as humans seem to choose well made fabrications as a form of nature in public locations, the definition of a waterfall changing to us.

Ice Watch, 2014

Ice Watch can be seen as Eliasson’s most meaningful artwork in his career. The installation is a collaboration between Olafur and geologist Minik Rosing, and consists of 12 large blocks of ice that have been dragged from a fjord outside Nuuk, Greenland, strewn in the formation of a clock. Patrons could touch and interact with the blocks of ice in any manner appropriate, bringing a connection between the art and the viewer in a very personal way. The installation speaks outward about climate change awareness, and how we take the ice caps of our planet for granted.

Riverbed, 2014-2015

Riverbed is almost too strange to even be called an installation. Eliasson has manipulated the space of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, making it look like an actual riverbed has been taken from nature and placed there. Patrons could walk on and traverse the landscape of the installation, fully able to touch and interact with the soil, stones, and water, along with its terrain and slopes. Eliasson describes it in detail; “Brutal, deathlike; it’s almost an alien landscape, and really, it’s there to introduce destabilizing qualities that one experiences outside – you’re walking on a slope, keeping your balance, recomposing your walking to fit the landscape – but you don’t really notice, you take them for granted. So I don’t only move the landscape in but also the microconflicts: suddenly we don’t take them for granted. This is what is interesting: the experience, the activities you do, also become exhibited. It’s as much about the interaction as about the actual plateau, the platform, on which people are walking.”

Life, 2021

Eliasson’s Life was an environmental art exhibition in the Beyeler Fondation in Switzerland, comprised of a building with no doors or windows housing an artificial lake. The lake is home to actual living sea flora, lily pads, and moss, that paints the water its signature bright green. Ambient sounds of insects, birds, wind blowing trees, and other natural noises fill the inside of the building, paired with sections lit by UV lamps that change the perspective of the exhibition by making the plants seem blue, but the river staying green. It was also home to a microsite hosting ideas, inspiration, and informational material. The exhibition is another work by Eliasson to bridge the artificial with nature to create a man made ecosystem available for viewers to explore.