Olafur Eliasson experiences through his works different phenomena related to nature and the local environment. Sunlight, the movement of the wind and the flow of water all combine in the arid desert to create open-air optical phenomena. The use of rainbows, shadows and mirrors create very aesthetic effects. Inside the museum, different works from the artist's extensive career are presented.
Pavilions five through seven contain drawing machines that use the elements of the sabkha habitat to create works of art that will later be displayed within the exhibition. The most recent pavilions are in constant dialogue with their surroundings, using materials such as obsidian and Icelandic glacial mud as their language.
Pavilions five through seven contain drawing machines that use the elements of the sabkha habitat to create works of art that will later be displayed within the exhibition. The most recent pavilions are in constant dialogue with their surroundings, using materials such as obsidian and Icelandic glacial mud as their language.
“The curious desert by Olafur Eliasson illustrates the power and problem-solving ability of art. Olafur’s profound body of work, including the new installations in the Qatari desert, opens an important dialogue about the environment, one of the most pressing topics of our time, in the context of our nation’s natural landscapes. This exhibition is unique in its presentation, which exists both inside and outside of the National Museum of Qatar, to further demonstrate how art is not confined to galleries, but is around us, everywhere, to inspire and educate.”
Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Chairperson of Qatar Museums.
Chairperson of Qatar Museums.
Installation view: "Algae window", 2020 by Olafur Eliasson. Glass spheres, steel, aluminium, plastic, paint (black), 380 x 350 x 80 cm. Photograph by Anders Sune Berg. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
Among the projects located in the twelve desert pavilions are:
- Rainbow incubator – 11 prisms, arranged along the top of a reflective sphere according to the path of the sun at Al Thakhira, bend and break the daylight entering the sphere, causing it to appear at different times of the year as a perfectly circular rainbow.
- Saltwater-drawing observatory – Two circular canvases – one white and the other black – turn slowly on motors as water, mixed with black and white pigments respectively, drips down onto the spinning surfaces. The wind causes the drawing utensil to move across the surface of the turning page, leaving undulating marks upon the surface. The drawings, portraits of the weather conditions at the location, are then periodically shown at The National Museum of Qatar.
- Solar incense burner – A single glass sphere uses the rays of the sun to ignite a selection of scents typical of Qatar and the region – oud, musk, and amber, among others. Each burns for exactly one hour, functioning as a clock by marking the times of day in a variety of scents.
- Your obsidian garden – Inspired by Eliasson’s hikes through volcanic obsidian fields in the Icelandic highlands, the artwork in this pavilion features black, shiny obsidian that stands out in stark contrast to the sandy ground, appearing to have erupted from beneath the desert.
Installation view: "Your pearl garden", 2023 by Olafur Eliasson. Galvanized steel, textile (white, anthracite), solar lamp, glass spheres (various sizes), silver, paint (black, yellow), 380 x 950 x 950 cm. Photograph by Ali Faisal Al Anssari. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
Both the museum and Eliasson cooperated to carry out extensive survey work in the area near Al Thakhira to ensure the protection of native plants and animals, such as the Arabian red fox. All with the advice of an ecologist.
Works featured at the National Museum include:
- The living lighthouse, 2023 – a new installation comprising broad bands of colourful light that crawl across the walls of this circular room, wrapping visitors in a vibrant, ever-changing light installation.
- The Research map, 2019- – a sprawling pin wall that charts the research and ideas that have inspired Eliasson and his studio in recent years. The map can be seen as a space of micro-storytelling, where seemingly unrelated contents vibrate next to each other and create new meaning.
- Photography series depicting the natural landscapes of Iceland – including The glacier melt series, 1999/2019, 2019, The inner cave series, 1998, and The horizon series, 2002 – selected by the artist with the landscape of Qatar in mind.
- Artworks created by drawing and painting machines installed outdoors near the Al Thakira Mangrove Forest.
Installation view: "Rainbow incubator", 2023 by Olafur Eliasson. Galvanized steel, textile (white, anthracite), solar lamp, stainless steel, glass prism, aluminium, paint (grey), plastic, 380 x 950 x 950 cm. Photograph by Anders Sune Berg. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
“It is an extraordinary opportunity to create artwork for the sabkha near Al Thakhira Mangrove Reserve. The sun, the wind, the nearby lagoon saltwater – they all help co-produce the artworks that visitors will encounter here. I hope the artworks in turn may sensitise people to the singular landscape and to the more-than-human agencies at work. The other half of my exhibition, at the National Museum of Qatar, is an assembly of embodied thoughts and actions from over 25 years of working as an artist. These two natural cultural sites enrich each other – together they make up The curious desert."
Olafur Eliasson.
Tigerlily Production created a two-part film for Studio Olafur Eliasson and Qatar Museums to show the development of the artist's installations entitled "Shadows travelling on the sea of the day", which can be viewed at the Mohammed Jassim Al Khulaifi Library at the National Museum of Qatar.
