SAN FRANCISCO (CelebrityAccess) – The Golden State Warriors and Chase Center, along with Studio Olafur Eliasson, have today (Aug. 26) announced the unveiling of Seeing spheres, which is acclaimed Danish-Icelandic visual artist Olafur Eliasson’s largest public artwork in the United Sates.
Situated on Chase Center’s 25,000 square foot triangular plaza in front of the East Entrance to the arena, Seeing spheres, 2019, consists of five fifteen-and-a-half-feet-tall polished hydroformed steel spheres that stand in a circle around a central space. Each sphere supports a flat, circular mirrored face, framed by a ring of LED lights, which is oriented inward to reflect the mirrored faces of the surrounding spheres. Together they produce a surprising environment of multilayered, reflected spaces in which the same people and settings appear again and again, visible from various unexpected angles. Tunnel-like sets of nested reflections open up in the mirrors, repeating countless times and disappearing into the distance.
Commenting on the exhibit, Eliasson said: “Seeing spheres is a public space that contains you and contains multitudes. We often think of public space as empty, negative space in the city, viewed from a car or crossed on the way to somewhere else. Seeing spheres offers a place to pause, where you see yourself from the outside, as a participant in society.”
Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts added: “Eliasson’s global reputation for innovation and creativity is now on full display in San Francisco. Seeing spheres will be an instant must-see for Bay Area residents and a magnet for visitors from around the world.”
Public Art Consultant Dorka Keehn said: “Working with a multi-million-dollar budget and a client with a vision of building community, I knew that Olafur was the perfect artist for the new home of the Warriors and was thrilled when the owners selected him. The Warriors and Chase Center have gifted San Francisco with an exceptional work of art by a world-renowned artist, who has a strong connection to San Francisco. Seeing spheres is a destination piece, a work that reflects the soul of the new neighborhood, and the ideal example of San Francisco’s ‘1%-for-art program’ enhancing and enlivening our city in tandem with our urban growth.”
Olafur Eliasson’s is internationally renowned for the social and experiential impact of his artwork. His art is driven by his interests in perception, movement, embodied experience, and feelings of self.
On September 3 at 9:00 a.m., Eliasson, alongside Welts and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Chief Curator Janet Bishop, will celebrate Chase Center’s signature work of public art with a panel discussion and official unveiling outside the East Entrance.
