Ólafur Elíasson: A Biography Early Life and Education Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1967 to Icelandic parents, Elías Hjörleifsson and Ingibjörg Olafsdottir. Spent formative years navigating dual cultural identities – Danish and Icelandic. Showed early artistic promise with his first solo exhibition at age 15. Studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1989 to 1995, a period crucial for developing his conceptual ap…