Artist Creates Rainbow in Dresden's Zwinger Palace
Artist Ólafur Elíasson has created a light installation for Dresden's Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. The two-meter circular rainbow illuminates the museum's darkest space.
The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) has acquired a notable new piece: a two-meter wide, rainbow-shaped light installation by artist Ólafur Elíasson. The work has been placed in the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, specifically within its "darkest room," the Globensaal.
Elíasson is recognized for his use of optical elements to generate striking works. Michael Korey, the salon's deputy director, stated that Elíasson "questions how seeing functions through his works." He utilizes prisms, lenses, and mirrors to produce "fantastic works that allow us to see ourselves seeing." The installation creates a spectrum from violet to red by directing light from a full-spectrum LED onto a prismatic glass ring.
The artwork showcases a phenomenon that is only partially visible in nature. According to SKD, rainbows are always physically circular, but the horizon obscures portions. Elíasson, born in Copenhagen in 1967, is known for his large-scale installations, including a previous "artificial sun" at London's Tate Modern.
The acquisition in Dresden was made possible with support from the Friends of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen. Elíasson's artistic practice often explores natural physical phenomena like light and water, and this installation continues his engagement with perception and natural forces.