Berlin museums fail local artists, says Eliasson

Eliasson, who works in Berlin, claims the capital’s museums commission international exhibitions, but fail to represent local work.

“I think artists in Berlin have a huge potential and the city could benefit more from their creativity than it does right now,” Eliasson told German magazine Der Spiegel.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York opened an exhibition in April dedicated to Eliasson, entitled Take your time.

The artist, who has a studio in Berlin, but lives with his wife and two adopted African children in the Danish capital of Copenhagen because of fears that his children may be subjected to prejudice in Germany.

“I feel that some people in Berlin have a phobia about dark-skinned people,” he told Der Spiegel.

Eliasson is known for his monumental exhibitions constructed from water, ice, plants and light. This summer he will exhibit an open air installation of four gigantic waterfalls on the East River in New York.