In Eliasson’s captivating installations you become aware of your senses, people around you and the world beyond.
Some artworks introduce natural phenomena such as rainbows to the gallery space. Others use reflections and shadows to play with the way we perceive and interact with the world. Many works result from the artist’s research into complex geometry, motion patterns, and his interest in colour theory. All but one of the works have never been seen in the UK before.
Within the exhibition is an area which explores Eliasson’s deep engagement with society and the environment. Discover what an artist’s perspective can bring to issues of climate change, energy, migration as well as architecture.
The kitchen team at Studio Olafur Eliasson have created a special menu and programme of related events for Tate Modern’s Terrace Bar, based on the organic, vegetarian and locally sourced food served in his Berlin studio.
Eliasson has a long relationship with Tate Modern. His glowing sun, The weather project, drew more than two million people to the Turbine Hall in 2003. More recently Ice Watch 2018 brought chunks of ice from Greenland to London. This exhibition provides another unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.
The glacier melt series 1999/2019
In 1999, Olafur Eliasson documented 45 of Iceland’s glaciers for a photographic series. Twenty years later – a nanosecond in geological time – he returned to photograph them again. The glacier melt series 1999/2019 places photographs of 30 of the glaciers from 1999 and 2019 side by side, revealing the dramatic changes that have occurred.
Olafur Eliasson Detail of The glacier melt series 1999/2019 Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson Detail of The glacier melt series 1999/2019 Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson, Waterfall, 2019, Courtesy the artist neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Installation view: Tate Modern, London Photo: Anders Sune Berg. © 2019 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson Beauty 1993 Installation view at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 2015 Photo: Anders Sune Berg Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles © 1993 Olafur Eliason
Olafur Eliasson Moss wall 1994 Installation view: Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 2015 Photo: Anders Sune Berg Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 1994 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson Big Bang Fountain, 2014 Installation view at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 2015
Photo: Anders Sune Berg Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2014 Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson Stardust particle 2014 Photo: Jens Ziehe Tate Collection © 2014 Olafur Eliasson
Exhibition has been organised by Tate Modern in collaboration with Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Exhibition curated by Mark Godfrey, Senior Curator, International Art, Tate Modern with Emma Lewis, Assistant Curator, International Art, Tate Modern
Recycle for 20% off an exhibition t-shirt
Do you have any old T-shirts you don’t wear any more? Bring them into Tate Modern for reuse or recycling and you will get a 20% discount on an Olafur Eliasson exhibition T-shirt. Members will also receive their further 10% membership discount.
Every year in the UK, over 300,000 tonnes of clothing goes to landfill. Much of this could still be worn by someone else and the rest could be recycled, by turning it into cleaning wipes or insulation. As sustainability is a key theme in Eliasson’s work, Tate and Studio Olafur Eliasson have teamed up to introduce a system for recycling your old T-shirts that we hope will become part of future Tate exhibitions.