SONNENENERGIE 22
OLAFUR ELIASSON

For the first time, an artistic installation presented in the light-flooded Rotunda of the Pinakothek der Moderne focuses on the sun. From mid-April the earth's rotation around the sun will become the protagonist of an ephemeral light painting – Olafur Eliasson's expansive artwork Sonnenenergie 22.

Light, especially sunlight, has been a fundamental material for Eliasson's artistic work for decades. We humans are very familiar with the extraordinary importance of sunlight for all life on earth - after all, the course of the sun shapes the rhythm of life and provides orientation in the world. The daily rotation of the earth and its annual orbit make the sun the natural clock for all living beings on our planet.

"From spring to autumn 2022, the sun and earth work together to create Sonnenenergie 22. As the earth's position in relation to the sun changes, the screenplay evolves, making the artwork constantly new. The unfolding narrative amplifies the movement of the earth, so that the invisible motion becomes visible. When you encounter the artwork on a sunny day, it is your own movement that you see as you travel on this spaceship earth through the vastness of space." - Olafur Eliasson