Olafur Eliasson’s Iceland

“Travelling in Iceland has helped me understand that being present is the foundation of my doing.” Olafur Eliasson

Each year, artist Olafur Eliasson returns to Iceland, his parent’s homeland, to explore and document the country’s unique landscape – from glaciers, waterfalls, volcanos and light – all find its continuation in Eliasson’s practice.

Eliasson recently finished his yearly pilgrimage around the country – starting in Reykjavik and then travelling around the landscape – he stayed in huts, climbed volcanoes and visited 11th century fishing villages where his parents originated.

This year Eliasson documented this journey on the Studio Olafur Eliasson instagram feed  allowing for a rich visual travelogue.

We present for you here a selection of the images:

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“In Iceland the light creates a subtle palette of grey huees, and roughly half of all daylight is in fact twilight. The Icelandic light shapes one’s senses in a special way; it changes the way one perceives objects. The relation between objects and daylight or twilight calls for a constant recomposition of the object and of ourselves.” “Never Tired Of Looking At Each Other“ Olafur Eliasson “Your Gravitational Now“

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“Consider this simple sensory re-evaluation, prompted by walking and driving around on the great Vatnajökull, a mild attack on the ever-increasing experiential numbness that society produces in abundance. Evaluating the (partially self-imposed) rules by which we live implies giving re-newed
attention to our definitions of time, space, and of ourselves as sentient agents.“
Olafur Eliasson “Your Gravitational Now“

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“When I walk or drive through the Icelandic landscape, I sense the surroundings and sense myself searching for sense. This vast landscape is like a test site that nurtures ideas and helps me process them into felt feelings – maybe even into art. Exercising physical and perceptual means of charting out space, of becoming, is for me a way of speaking to the world.“ Olafur Eliasson “Your Gravitational Now“

“Looking firmly towards the horizon, you suddenly experience the large icy surface as if it were raised to become horizontal with the sea beyond, tipping surrealistically towards you. For a second, the rational structuring of your perceptions is short-circuited. All knowledge of space and its dimensions dissolves. Breathtaking!“ Olafur Eliasson “Your Gravitational Now“