Gallery Koyanagi
Closes in 9 days

Coming off a blockbuster exhibition at the Hara Museum in Shinagawa this winter, Olafur Eliasson has returned to Tokyo with a smaller, representative show of his work at the respected Gallery Koyanagi in Ginza (www.gallerykoyanagi.com). Eliasson is easily one of the most important contemporary artists active today. His materials are ethereal -- atmospheric and geological conditions -- which he captures and controls with machines and electrical appliances. His constructions create effects in light, air and temperature that are simple but mesmerizing. They take the best ideas of abstract two-dimensional art and give them a concrete existence, as well as bring the real world of elements unmediated into art.

Still, some might think he has hubris to try to recreate the sun as he did in his acclaimed "Weather Project" at the Tate Modern in 2003. But unlike some who allow theory to get in the way of their art, Eliasson uses it to get out of the way of the audience; his commitment instead is to creating beauty. The artist often uses age-old tricks to get the effects he is looking for. At the Koyanagi he is showing several lamps, a stereoscope and a kaleidoscope with a camera obscura, alongside several photo and illustration series. While the craftsmanship of the pieces themselves is as practical as possible, each has a quiet beauty of its own. Look closer at the lamps and you see the intricate and clever design used to create their colorful effects on the walls. Be careful though. Look too close and you may become part of the work itself -- Eliasson says his intention is to make viewers "see themselves sensing."