olafur eliasson: your body of work

the first south american presentation of his artistic practice, danish/icelandic artist olafur eliasson‘s ‘your body of work’ offers its viewers experiences revolving around color perception and spatial orientation. in total, ten works located in three different areas of sao paulo, brazil (pinacoteca do estado, SESC belenzhinho and SESC pompéia) are on show as part of the 17th international festival of contemporary art SESC_ videobrasil. 

‘microscope to sao paulo’, 2011 as part of the 17th international festival of contemporary art SESC_ videobrasil.  image courtesy of olafur eliasson

eliasson is known for embodying the laws of physics, neurology and opitical illusions, inviting individuals to acquaint themselves with natural phenomena such as fog, light, color and reflections. on this occasion, within the pinacoteca do estada, eliasson has developed four major artistic installations: ‘microscope to sao paulo’; ‘take your time’; sphere of slow light’; and ‘your shared planet’. the works are on show until january 29th, 2012.

‘microscope to sao paulo’, 2011 image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘microscope to sao paulo’ is a kaleidoscope of mirrors formed by four giant reclining sides, which fulfill the inner courtyard of the pinacoteca. mirrors open up toward the ceiling glass, absorbing all the light from outside, creating a kaleidoscopic effect with the structure of the roof. when visitors walk along the runway which intersects the installation and crosses the courtyard, they are given a complete view of the mirrored reflections.

‘microscope to sao paulo’, 2011 from the walkway which intersects it image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘take your time’, 2008 image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘take your time’ sits within the octagon, the pinacoteca’s central space. a tilted mirror hanging from the ceiling in the center rotates around its own axis reflecting everything that is in the space.

‘take your time’, 2008 image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘slow light sphere’, 2011 image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘your shared planet’, 2011 image courtesy of olafur eliasson

a set of colored filter glasses with mirrors turn the museums terrace into a spherical kaleidoscope in ‘your shared planet’. with this work, the artist offers the visitor a different view of the city.

‘your shared planet’, 2011 (detail) image © haupt & binder / universes in universe

‘your body of work’, 2011 on show at the SESC pompéia image courtesy of olafur eliasson

‘waterfall’, 1998 on show at the SESC pompéia image courtesy of olafur eliasson