Olafur Eliasson in Conversation with Johanna Burton

Please join us for an insightful conversation between acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson and Johanna Burton, The Maurice Marciano Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles.

Eliasson’s upcoming exhibition at MOCA, titled Olafur Eliasson: OPEN, stems from his belief in the potential of inconclusiveness – the idea that in every artwork, exhibition, or experience there is an aspect that is radically open. He has long considered artworks to be only ever complete once they encounter the audience, whom he sees as responsible for co-producing the art. The artworks in turn host the viewers and their experiences. In this spirit, the artworks are fundamentally abstract – open to interpretation. They present not images or representations of our world but reflect rather the here and now: our embodied presence within space at a particular moment.

Olafur Eliasson: OPEN is among more than 60 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art.

Olafur Eliasson: OPEN opens September 15, 2024, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

The works of artist Olafur Eliasson explore the relevance of art in the world at large. Born in 1967, Eliasson grew up in Iceland and Denmark, where he studied from 1989 to 1995 at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1995, he moved to Berlin and founded Studio Olafur Eliasson, which today comprises a large team of craftspeople, architects, archivists, researchers, administrators, cooks, programmers, art historians, and specialized technicians. Since 1997, his wide-ranging solo shows—featuring installations, paintings, sculptures, photography, and film— have appeared in major museums around the globe and he has also produced numerous projects in public space. In 2019 Eliasson was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for renewable energy and climate action by the United Nations Development Programme.

Johanna Burton is the Maurice Marciano Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Burton has been active in the contemporary art field for more than 20 years, including more than a decade of leadership experience in major museums and prominent arts and education institutions. A highly esteemed curator and thinker who has published extensively, she came to MOCA after an accomplished tenure as director of the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH. Prior to her time at the Wexner, Burton was the Keith Haring Director and curator of education and public engagement at the New Museum in New York.

Presented by The Museum of Contemporary Art, the USC School of Architecture, and USC Visions and Voices.