Olafur Eliasson In real life

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.

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.