Olafur Eliasson's new installation gives 'sense of presence' through standing still

An installation view of "Breathing earth sphere" by Olafur Eliasson in Docho Island, Sinan county, South Jeolla Province, South Korea (Courtesy of the artist)

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson unveiled his new work “Breathing earth sphere” on Friday in Sinan county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, as part of the county’s public art project.

Known for integrating natural phenomena with human sensory experiences by using elemental forces such as light, water, and air, Eliasson's new work resonates with his ongoing exploration of the natural world, particularly synthesizing the inherent characteristics of Dochodo, one of the county's 1,004 islands.

Sinan-gun, Korea's largest archipelago, is home to more than 2,000 species of flora and fauna. The county’s public art project aims to transform each island into an art destination. The tidal flats in Sinan, known in Korean as "getbol," were inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2021.

“If we are to ensure the long-term health of the planet, we need to listen to the earth, to plants, trees, other living species, and to the soil that supports us. We can only really do so by upending the assumption of human domination over all other beings on earth and accepting our status as merely ‘one among many types of life,” Eliasson said.

An installation view of "Breathing earth sphere" by Olafur Eliasson on Dochodo, Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province, South Korea (Courtesy of the artist)

The artwork takes shape as a large spherical subterranean space intricately lined with lava stone tiles that respond to the volcanic history of the region. Colored in reds, greens, and cyan, the colored tiles are arranged to produce the illusion of three-dimensional forms tumbling through space.

“There are no corners in ‘Breathing earth sphere,’ no sense of horizon or limit. In fact, there are no walls, ceilings, or floors. Standing there, you may feel, simply, a sense of presence, here and now, within the sphere. Transitioning from red at the bottom to green at the top, the tiles relate intuitively to the earth, to the soil, and to the greenery of plant life,” the artist said.

Since 1997, Eliasson’s wide-ranging solo shows, featuring installations, paintings, sculptures, photography and film, have appeared in major museums around the globe. He represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003.