Olafur Eliasson

The interactive works of Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) encourage emotional and participatory responses to sustainability, climate change, and other complex issues. Through his multidisciplinary and collaborative studio practice, the artist combines natural elements such as light, water, and movement to engage and alter viewers’ senses. The centerpiece of MOCA’s exhibition is a newly commissioned, large-scale installation. An additional selection of works spans the artist’s 30-year career and traces his attention to climate issues, including his famed photographic The Glacier Melt Series (1999/2019) and The Green River Series (1998–2001). Visitors are invited to consider the climate crisis via immersive experiences that engage all their senses and guide them toward an embodied experience of the environment and a personal understanding of the global climate emergency. An education lab created in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute engages visitors in scientific and technical research into Eliasson’s work as a case study for the conservation of experiential art installations.