I enjoyed this exhibition at the Tate Modern. It brings together over 40 works of art made between 1990 and today by the Danish-Icelandic artist. I was drawn to the name of it “In Real Life”. I like to explore in “the real world” the actual physical experience more than through the internet and books formed on other peoples experiences and opinions. I went with a student from my class so we experienced it together. It was interesting to see how her reactions to certain pieces differed from my own. In particular I enjoyed a piece called “Your Blind Passenger” (figure 1 and 2) where you walk through a colour and light filled tunnel of fog. My classmate hated it and had a sense of panic, whereas I felt like it was exciting not knowing where I was going. This made me think about our cultural differences, how our past experiences can effect the present and how we can experience the same things but from very different perspectives. When I am working with clients I will be mindful of this.
I love immersive art as it has the power to change your mood, it can transport you somewhere new and brings you into the present and makes you more aware of your senses. It has a therapeutic impact on me that is why I go to so many art exhibitions. It takes me away from “normality” and into the imaginative world of the artists thinking. I enjoyed the element of surprise at this exhibition. Each space brought a different sense and atmosphere, there was a focus on mathematics in the form of using geometric shapes which looked like planets, the universe and there were also pieces on climate change. In some of the spaces I found my sense of reality heightened. This was acheived through the use of structures, light and space. There was also a sense of play in the spaces where people could interact with the work created by shadow and object (Your Uncertain Shadow figure 3 & 7) this piece was a lot of fun.
“Eliasson puts experience at the centre of his art. He hopes that as you encounter it, you become more aware of your senses”. Tate Modern
fig 3 & 7 Your Uncertain Shadow
fig 5 & 8 Your Spiral View
fig 11 The Expanded Studio The structural evolution project
fig 12 In Real Life
fig 10 & 13 Model Room
figure 1-13 from top left
Olafur Eliasson, In Real Life, The Tate Modern (2019) London.
MA Art Therapy Blog 