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LASplash.com: Visiting Chicago The Olafur Eliasson Exhibit Review - An Extraordinary Artist at Chicago's MCA By Nacéra Kassi and Constance Delepaut Did you ever go to an attraction where the main subject was yourself? If not, we suggest that you take your family, kids and friends to the Museum of Contemporary Art and explore the incredible “Take your time “ exhibit, something unique in Chicago.
We never expected that special Sunday afternoon to be so astonishing and such a great adventure. As soon as we get off the L and moved towards the MCA location, the yellow painted steps leading to the main entrance, saying “ museums are now “ caught us by surprise and immediately put a smile on our faces. We never imagined that this afternoon would alert our five senses. Our charming museum guide and storyteller captivated the group with some interesting history about the Museum of Contemporary Art before getting into the main focus of this tour: the Dannish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and his enigmatic and uncommon artistic works. Our tour started in the MCA’s lobby where we saw"Your eye activity field", a series of wide paintings depicting the 300 nanometers of the color spectrum that can be seen by the human eye. These paintings were even more impressive because the walls were bright white. Being surrounded by every shade made us feel like we had both the five elements and the four seasons within reach. And this was very pleasureable for the eyes, too.
From here, we moved on to the "Room for one color" which was the strangest and funniest experience of all. Once we walked into the corridor, the entire contents of the room, including our skins and clothes changed colors. All vivid shades immediately turned grey, yellow or black because of the monofrequency lights. Quite an amazing experience for us as, for a while, we felt like guinea peas undergoing an experiment. This was due to monochromatic bulbs, which emitted light with such a narrow frequency that they affected the normal perception of color. We did not expect any other Elliasson’s artwork to stun us after the incredible ones we had just experienced but the best was yet to come. Leaving the "Room for one colour", we stepped into the Remagine place where spotlights overlapping rectilinear patterns across the gallery wall created the illusion of distance and depth. Having the spotlights aimed at every one of us gave the impression of being active participants in a Big Brother reality show, so that each and every move of ours was being watched. This feeling was emphasized by the rectangular shape of the room and the total absence of windows.
So far from the beginning of the tour, it was our vision that was in focus. The Moss Wall was an amazing transition since it was the only artwork that we could smell and touch. This wall was a hidden structure made of wood and wire anchors with live reindeer moss and, surprisingly enough, the curtain of soft moss changes shapes and color, giving off a natural fragrance. You can guess our excitement when we were staring at those tiny spongy Icelandic tufts since we could not touch them. Through this gorgeous living wall, talented Eliasson took us on a memorable journey to Iceland without leaving home. The "Ventilator" was by far the most spectacular exhibit. Eliasson used an everyday appliance such as a fan to disrupt and activate the museum’s interior architecture. This simple tool was propelled only by the movement of the blade and followed every move of the viewers, seeking a source of heat to ventilate. Incredible isn’t it ?
Elliason showed another facet of his talent in photographic works. The artist dedicated an entire room to the Iceland countryside, where we could appreciate the landscape through photographs shot by air, boat and car. The pecularity of this room was that all the pictures were placed from the farthest to the closest shaping a giant puzzle.
As the tour came to a close, we moved on to the North Gallery where the most fabulous creations that Elliason has ever made were exhibited. We went through the "One way colour tunnel" which generated a kaleidoscopic effect that fluctuated as we moved through the passage way. The vivid colors such as pink, blue and purple reminded us of the colors in the Arabian Nights. This tunnel was even more amazing because, once on the other side, it was not colored anymore. All the magic instantly faded away.
Still mesmerizied, the 'Multiple grotto" appeared to us like a big funky disco ball. This artwork was a traditional kaleidoscope that used angled mirrors to create complex visual patterns. And next to this, hanging over our heads, was the "Inverted Berlin Sphere", all glittering and sparkling as if it was made of diamonds.
This gorgeous sphere illuminated the space where it was suspended and reflected nice geometric shadows on the walls. It was a wonderful sight that you could never imagine.
And for the grand finale we were delighted when we entered the 360° room for all colors which was shaped like a small arena. However, rather than illustrating a particular scene, this arena fully immersed us in the color spectrum. It was like the room was changing colors according to our moods, creating a wonderful rainbow of shades. And from this arena of colors, we were transported to another room as dark as ebony. What a fairy sight to see a medium waterfall in the middle of this place merely lighted. We clearly understood the reason Elliason called this fabulous artwork, "Beauty".
With this magnificent view, our wonderful tour ended. We recommend that everyone, art lovers or not, take some time to discover or re-discover this unbelievable Olafur Elliason exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago 312.280.2660 General information
Photos : Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Published Jun 2, 2009 © Copyright 2003-2004 by LA Splash.com |
