Eliasson, Olafur, 1967–, Danish sculptor, architect, and installation artist. His work is influenced by nature and natural phenomena. Early works involved frozen water droplets, electric fans, and saturated color. In 2003 he represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale with The Blind Pavillion, an installation, through which visitors walked, of opaque and transparent glass panels. That year he also exhibited The Weather Project, constructed with 200 yellow lamps, a diffusing screen, fog, and mirrors, at London's Tate Modern. In 2008 he created a site-specific work of four waterfalls on the New York City waterfront, and in 2011 he constructed a permanent installation, Your rainbow panorama, atop the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Denmark. His architectural work includes the facade of the Harpa Concert Hall (2011), Reykjavik, Iceland, and Fjordenhus, his first building, partially submerged in a fjord at Vejle, Denmark. His work calling attention to global warming has included installations of melting icebergs during climate-change conferences in Copenhagen, Paris, and London.
See D. Birnbaum et al., Olafur Eliasson (2002).
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