Stunning Effects by Simple Means

Olafur Eliasson, Beauty, 1993

"In his work, Olafur Eliasson explores visual and physical phenomena. Using a hose with holes in it and a lamp, he created a rainbow, one of his first small optical spectacles (Beauty, 1993). Eliasson achieves stunning effects by simple means without needing to conceal the technical tricks involved. Basically, the works are about the relationship between the viewer and the object, with the viewer's reactions being part of the work. They are experiments with the way we habitually see things, with the artist deliberately seeking to set up patterns and introduce a new element into them."

~ from 50 Contemporary Artists You Should Know by Brad Finger and Christiane Weidemann