Olaf Nicolai, Eisfeld II: an ice field in Baroque Venice
Olaf Nicolai, ENJOY SURVIVE I, 2001 | Courtesy Galerie EIGEN + ART Leipzig, Berlin I Photo: Uwe Walter
In Eisfeld II Olaf Nicolai turns the frescoed hall of Palazzo Diedo in Venice into a 100 square meter ice field that cools progressively despite being indoors. Visitors are invited to skate to an original soundtrack by Berlin band To Rococo Rot played around the rink, heightening the sensory experience. Conceived for the year of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the work reinterprets the Eisfeld concept first shown in 2001 at the Migros Museum in Zurich. The ENJOY/SURVIVE light boxes at either end suggest a reflection on the balance between pleasure and survival, transforming skating into a contemplative moment.