“Life, my artwork, and the Fondation Beyeler are entangled with the surrounding park, the urban landscape, and the planet, and they come to life through everything and everyone that meet up in it”.
“Ever since I began practising as an artist in the early 1990s, I have been interested in perception and in the cognitive and cultural conditions that shape it. Life comes to life through your active encounter with it, through your perception. I’ve chosen not to offer a didactic or explanatory text to accompany the artwork, as this might shape visitors’ perception and understanding of the exhibition. It’s important to me not to share a finite perspective on Life. Some of my thoughts on making the artwork and its continued life, as well as my sources of inspiration for the work, can be found here. At the same time, I welcome what visitors bring with them to the artwork, their expectations and memories, thoughts and emotions”.
“Life presents a model for a future landscape. It is hospitable. When Sam Keller, the Director of the Fondation Beyeler, and I first discussed the exhibition a couple of years ago, I thought, Why don’t we invite everyone to the show? Let’s invite the planet – plants and various species. Beyond just opening a door, I decided to remove the structural boundaries that keep the outside out of the institution, and I am grateful to the Fondation Beyeler and to the architect Renzo Piano, who built the museum, for trusting me to carefully – and caringly – have the glass façade removed from the building.
“I invite you to explore the exhibition for yourself. If you are unable to travel to the Fondation Beyeler in person, you can visit the website at any time of day or night to see the exhibition live from alternating human and non-human perspectives”.
Olafur Eliasson
April – July 2021
Curator of the exhibition Sam Keller
The exhibition was realised by Studio Olafur Eliasson and Fondation Beyeler in cooperation with Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten.
