Olafur Eliasson exhibit now on display at the Dallas Museum of Art

by Laura Seewoester

The first major survey of works by Olafur Eliasson to tour the US is making a pit stop at the Dallas Museum of Art in Take your Time: Olafur Eliasson. The exhibit presents a range of Eliasson's work from throughout his career, many of which have only been displayed alone until this exhibit started touring. It also features a new piece to the tour that has never been displayed in America.

Take your time is not just a simple title for an exhibit. Consider it a direct order from the artist. To give a little idea of what his work is about, let's start with the medium. Eliasson's choice of medium often includes intangible objects, mainly light and color. The physical materials he uses are really just a method of delivery. Each piece is just as much an experiment on vision, perception and optical illusions as it is a work of art. His work can be compared to an elaborate science project executed with beauty and grace.

One piece contains a series of lights that turn the room monochromatic. Stepping into “Room for one colour” is like stepping onto the set of Pleasantville, with the lights giving the room's inhabitants an eerie purplish glow, almost as if you are in “black and white.”

“You become responsible for what you see,” Eliasson says. “The surroundings are relative to your engagement.”

The rest of the works in the exhibit run with this basic theme, offering a challenge to what you see versus what is actually in front of you. This is not your typical art exhibit, standing in front of a painting saying “that's pretty,” and shuffling to the next piece. This is an experience, and one that is different for everybody. This engagement between art and viewer makes the exhibit incredibly enjoyable and exciting. Walking through Take your time gives one the feeling of being Alice stepping through that rabbit hole. Things aren't always what they seem and space is only a model of perception that we can evaluate and change.