Intervention #7

Olaf Nicolai - Apollo

1 Oca 2008
31 Ara 2008

With Apollo, Olaf Nicolai has created a sculpture in the museum courtyard that is also a podium for performances. The circular, half-open pavilion forms the setting for a potential football arena, where the players’ movements are reflected in the mirrors that shoot up at regular intervals around the red playing field and generate a strobe-like effect.

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Apollo by Olaf Nicolai, image from Boijmans van Beuningen -

In classical mythology, Apollo was the God of light and the arts. Nicolai’s Apollo in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s courtyard is also a platform for ‘wannabe’ Apollos. Anyone entering the arena is bathed in the radiant aura of the mirrored pavilion during their performance and almost consecrated by the aestheticised motion dynamic. The work is one of a series of sculptures by Nicolai with an architectural background that can also be entered into, which marks a connection with the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s collection, in particular Bruce Nauman’s ‘Double Steel Cage Piece’ (1974).

Studio Thonik, who designed the museum’s house style, has collaborated with Olaf Nicolai to redesign the floor of the courtyard to complement Apollo.

The museum is giving contemporary art a prominent place in its new displays in the form of three artist’s presentations that reflect upon the collection and the building. These visual statements are intensified through alternation with works from the permanent collection, establishing a dialogue that heightens the senses and encourages contemplation.

The official opening takes place Saturday September 27 2008 at 13:00 on location.
Visit from September 27 2008 to June 1 2009 at the Boymans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. For opening hours and prices see their website.