Prague
Completed

David Claerbout's 'Olympia': A Thought-Provoking Video Art Exhibition at Galerie Rudolfinum

Experience a monumental projection exploring the real-time disintegration of the Berlin Olympic Stadium over a thousand years.

Galerie Rudolfinum presents 'David Claerbout Olympia', a unique exhibition featuring the renowned Belgian artist's video projection. This profound artwork visualizes the Berlin Olympic Stadium's gradual decay over a millennium, offering a powerful meditation on the passage of time. Explore how it contrasts human ideological structures with the enduring forces of nature, inviting visitors to reflect on history and impermanence.

About David Claerbout Olympia at Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague

Read curatorial context and practical visitor information for David Claerbout Olympia at Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague

Exhibition summary

This exhibition features Belgian artist David Claerbout's video projection 'Olympia,' which depicts the real-time disintegration of the Berlin Olympic Stadium over a thousand years. The artwork explores the passage of time as a form of retribution and contrasts human ideological constructions with natural persistence.

Curatorial context

Galerie Rudolfinum presents 'David Claerbout Olympia,' featuring the significant video projection by Belgian artist David Claerbout (born 1969), known for his investigations into the conceptual effects of time through video and digital photography. The artwork, 'Olympia (The Real-Time Disintegration into Ruins of the Berlin Olympic Stadium over the Course of a Thousand Years),' created using videogame technologies, offers a real-time virtual record of the gradual decay of the Nazi Stadium in Berlin. The monumental projection, programmed for a thousand-year duration, visualizes how nature reclaims the structure without human intervention. Curator Petr Nedoma notes that the work 'merely points to time itself as a form of retribution,' contrasting biological persistence with ideological constructs, particularly in relation to Hitler's desire for a thousand-year empire and Albert Speer's architectural theories on ruins. The exhibition features a main horizontal projection capturing the movement of a virtual camera around the stadium's interior, complemented by a second, vertical projection focusing on monumentalized details like sculptures, ornamentation, and landscape. Claerbout has crafted a virtual world devoid of human presence but alive with the changing life cycle. An algorithmically calculated process generates daily updates of growth and decay, simulating weeds growing based on real-time weather and sun position data in Berlin. This work is presented as part of the 'Rudolfinum_Time-Based' series focused on new media.

Admission and ticket notes

Admission is voluntary. Last entry is strictly 30 minutes before closing time. General museum opening hours are Tuesday–Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, with Thursdays and Mondays CLOSED. Visitors are advised to plan their visit accordingly due to potential time constraints.

David Claerbout Olympia key exhibition facts

Review exhibition status, schedule, venue context, and attribution details for David Claerbout Olympia at Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague

Venue
Galerie Rudolfinum
Current status
Completed
Exhibition schedule
Jan 29, 2020 – Jul 26, 2020
Artist line / attribution
Featuring Belgian artist David Claerbout (born 1969), known for his work in contemporary international video art.
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