olafur eliasson layers riverbed within louisiana museum of modern art

for the first time, danish-icelandic artist olafur eliasson presents a solo show at denmark’s prestigious louisiana museum of modern art, placing three spatial installations within the architectural context of the site. like many of the exhibitions presented throughout his creative career, eliasson’s ‘riverbed’ is site-specific, engaging with the cultural institution’s unique identity, thematically linking the artworks and gallery as a place — physically, structurally and historically. radical interventions delve into the reality of the space as an institution, and at the same time focus on local sensory experiences as part of a global perspective.

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
all images by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art

the central work in the exhibition is ‘riverbed’, a giant landscape which unfolds throughout the south wing of the gallery in one great sweep. a surface of rocks canvasses the floors, creating a terrain for a stream of water winding through the interior. the piece places an alternative path to the one already anticipated by the architecture: visitors are transported from the typical walk across a tile floor, to steps on top of loose terrain, and finally a course along a river. the installation acts as a direct reference to the history of the site — louisiana’s south wing was added in 1982 on a slope that used to be home to a sculpture garden. ‘riverbed’ affords the viewer the opportunity to think about the aesthetic experience as more than just an encounter between the visitor and works on the floor or walls.

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
photo by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
photo by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
photo by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
photo by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art

olafur eliasson
riverbed, 2014
installation shot
photo by anders sune berg, courtesy of the louisiana museum of modern art     

accompanying ‘riverbed’ is a ‘model room’ in the north wing of the museum which offers a gaze into the artist’s intellectual workshop. in constant development, the creative lab houses new projects and a comprehensive collection of geometrical models, made in close collaboration with icelandic artist einar thorsteinn.

installation shot of ‘model room’, 2003

additionally, in the museum’s large hall, three video works are shown: ‘movement microscope’ follows a group of dancers in eliasson’s studio on what is an otherwise ordinary working day; ‘your embodied garden’ explores a chinese field in suzhou through the minimal movements of choreographer steen koerner; ‘innen stadt aussen’ presents a double portrait of berlin in motion.

 
olafur eliasson
riverbed
installation shot of ‘model room’, 2003

olafur eliasson says: ‘what I’m interested in with my work at the louisiana isn’t really that you experience an object or an artwork. I am interested in how you connect this landscape to the rest of the world and ultimately, how you experience yourself within it. when we’re in our familiar surroundings, in our circle of family and friends, our senses are very finely tuned, but the further away we get from the local context, the cruder the sensing becomes. I wonder if our focus on the atmospheric can give us a relationship with something that is very abstract and far away.’