Image Information
Situated absence navigator (Sector 4), 2021 - Studio Olafur Eliasson, Berlin – 2022 - Photo: Jens Ziehe
Situated absence navigator (Sector 4), 2021
Studio Olafur Eliasson, Berlin – 2022
Photo: Jens Ziehe
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Situated absence navigator (Sector 4), 2021

In his watercolours, Olafur Eliasson continues his investigation of colour phenomena, a central concern for much of his work across all media, from large-scale installations to photographs, sculptures, and light projections. Produced by applying successive layers of paint on paper, the watercolour paintings feature circles and ellipses that give the impression of depth, duration, and movement. Transparency and layering are important elements in these works: despite the paintings’ reduced palettes, a broad range of colours is created through the layers of paint. Surprisingly clear, jarring hues are revealed between the gaps in the layers. White areas and highlights in watercolours are created, unlike in other painting techniques, by leaving the page blank. This approach has been used here to create compositions of angles and slices that segment circles and evoke the dials of navigational instruments, radars, or compasses.

Artwork details

Title

Situated absence navigator (Sector 4)

Year

2021

Materials

Watercolour and pencil on paper