Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Istanbul Modern is hosting a comprehensive selection of works from the 30-year career of Olafur Eliasson, an artist widely known in today's contemporary art world for his original projects. “Olafur Eliasson: Your Unexpected Encounter” is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Istanbul, a city he says played an important role in shaping his art.
“Olafur Eliasson: Your Unexpected Encounter” reveals the artist's deep interest in subjects and concepts he has dealt with throughout his career, as well as in current debates around the world. The exhibition is organized around themes with fluid boundaries, such as light, color, perception, movement, geometry and the environment. The selection interacts with the museum's collection and works in other temporary exhibitions while preserving its original character in terms of scale, form and expressive techniques.
Sponsored by Eczacıbaşı Group, Istanbul Modern’s founding sponsor, and Group brand VitrA, “Olafur Eliasson: Your Unexpected Encounter” is curated by Öykü Özsoy Sağnak, Nilay Dursun and Ümit Mesci from the Istanbul Modern team. Let's take a closer look at the exhibition, which can be visited until February 9, 2025.
Works inspired by the uniqueness of Istanbul
Olafur Eliasson's first encounter with Istanbul occurred in 1997. His current exhibition features many works referencing Istanbul's unique location, Eliasson describes his connection to the city: "During the 5th International Istanbul Biennial, I forged a strong bond with the city. The themes of navigation, harmony, and the sea have long been central to my artistic practice—and all these concepts resonate uniquely in Istanbul."
Eliasson notes that the exhibition's location allows visitors to navigate through the works while observing ships sailing to various destinations. He explains: "These new works and the exhibition as a whole draw inspiration from the museum space and Istanbul itself, dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior."
Istanbul Modern Chief Curator Öykü Özsoy Sağnak reflects on the exhibition: "Olafur Eliasson frequently incorporates the possessive 'your' in naming his works and exhibitions, creating unexpected, surprising encounters as we experience his art. We are thrilled to present Olafur Eliasson's first solo exhibition in Turkey—his constructed world offers an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages."
"Art is a universal language"
Olafur Eliasson views art as a language that compels people to think and helps them grasp complex situations they might not understand otherwise. Through this lens, he believes art plays a vital role in transforming societies.
Eliasson prefers the term "transformation" over "change," finding it more inclusive. He strives to create artworks that avoid prescriptive messages or fixed meanings: "The meeting between a viewer and an artwork and the meaning of the interaction between them is very important to me. Only then can art offer us all an inherently pluralistic and valuable space. Despite all our differences, despite the breadth of our perspectives, we can all connect with a work of art."
"The period of awareness about global warming is already behind us"
As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Olafur Eliasson consistently reflects his climate activism in his works. His environmental sensitivity, deeply rooted in his Icelandic childhood, shapes his projects at Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin. The studio houses a diverse team of artisans, architects, archivists, researchers, cooks, art historians, and technicians, where tackling sustainability and global warming issues. Beyond creating artistic explorations and solutions, Eliasson develops projects to minimize the carbon footprint in artwork production and exhibition staging.
Olafur Eliasson describes the current state of climate change and the interconnection of crises: "Now everyone knows what global warming is. The period of raising awareness is over. We also know that no crisis exists in isolation; they're all interconnected. The pandemic, racism, whatever you call it, are all somehow connected to the climate crisis. In my studio in Berlin, I put sustainability at the forefront of everything we produce. In some of my artworks, I also include the climate crisis conceptually.”
