On the Installation “Eisfeld II” by the German artist Olaf Nicolai
While many other cultural institutions in Venice take their traditional winter break, Palazzo Diedo in Cannaregio opens its doors. Until 22nd February 2026, the German artist Olaf Nicolai presents his unique installation entitled Eisfeld II, literally meaning “ice field”. In the so-called Portego, the main hall of the first floor, a 100-square-metre rink invites visitors to enjoy ice skating within the historic setting. Playing cool synth-pop music through six loudspeakers arranged around the rink, Nicolai creates a fascinating multisensorial experience.
In keeping with the XXV Olympic Winter Games, which will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from 6th February 2026, the ice rink was opened by a professional figure skater. Gliding across the ice with an almost sculptural elegance, she lent the installation a performative dimension. But that was just the beginning, because the artist’s actual aim is to involve the audience: ice skates are distributed in an adjoining room so that anyone who wants to can take to the ice. And this indoor ice rink with high-tech artificial ice has the pleasant advantage that you do not freeze! Of course, you can enjoy the art installation in a light-hearted and carefree manner, but if you take a closer look, you will notice the two oversized circular neon lights that glow in bright colours on the front walls, bearing the words ENJOY / SURVIVE. These signs invite us to reflect on the balance between the two concepts, transforming our experience of skating into a kind of sensory reflection on the dialectic between pleasure and survival.
It is surprising how the installation – which was first on show at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich in 2001 – feels highly topical in a time of ever-accelerating climate change.
Olaf Nicolai has maintained close ties with Venice for over thirty years and has exhibited in the city on several occasions, including at the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2015. His installation GIRO, presented on the roof of the pavilion, featured actors throwing boomerangs out of sight of the audience. Its tension arose from the dialectical interplay between the actors’ exposure and withdrawal, from the functionality of their actions and the aesthetic dimension of their choreography. The archaic gesture of throwing was accompanied by the displayed possibility of failure. A similar dynamic unfolds in the installation Eisfeld at Palazzo Diedo, where we, the audience, become performers. While enjoying the act of ice skating, participants run the risk of falling and failing. Once again, the potential height of the fall is significant, and once again the artist reminds us that we are moving in a larger context – one that merits careful reflection.
NB In 1993, Olaf Nicolai was a scholarship holder at the German Center of Venetian Studies, where the author works as a consultant for art promotion.
LINK
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