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Tate Modern Exhibition

Olafur Eliasson In real life

Until 5 January 2020
Photograph of Olafur Eliasson's artwork Your uncertain shadow (colour)

Olafur Eliasson Your uncertain shadow (colour) 2010 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Vienna. Photo: María del Pilar García Ayensa / Studio Olafur Eliasson © 2010 Olafur Eliasson

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Olafur Eliasson returns to Tate Modern with this unmissable exhibition

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.

An aerial photograph of Icelandic glaciers

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

An aerial photograph of Icelandic glaciers

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

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

Photograph of Olfaur Eliasson's artwork Moss wall, 1994

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

Photograph of Olafur Eliasson's artwork Big Bang Fountain, 2014

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

Photograph of Olafur Eliasson's artwork Stardust particle, 2014

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.

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Tate Modern

Bankside
London SE1 9TG
Plan your visit

Dates

Until 5 January 2020

All advance tickets are now sold out

Members do not need to book to see the exhibition - just show your membership card at the entrance. Exclusive Members Hours continue on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 January, 9.00–10.00. Join now

A very limited amount of day tickets will be released at 10.00 each day when the gallery opens. Day tickets are for entry times throughout the day on that day only and are available to purchase in person from the Level 0 ticket desk on a first-come, first-served basis.

Day tickets are likely to sell out quickly so come early to avoid disappointment. You may need to wait between your ticket purchase and your timed exhibition entry.

Once these tickets are gone the exhibition will be sold out for the day. If you plan to buy tickets this way, aim to get to the gallery for when it opens and be prepared that you may be buying tickets for a much later time slot that day.

Extended opening hours:

Thursday 2 & Sunday 5 January until 22.00

See visiting and accessibility information

Supported by

With additional support from

The Olafur Eliasson Exhibition Supporters Circle

New Carlsberg Foundation
Beckett-Fonden
Danish Arts Foundation

Tate Patrons

and Tate Members

Media partners

The Times and The Sunday Times

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  • Olafur Eliasson and Lily Cole at Tate Modern, December 2018 Photo © Alexander Coggin

    Olafur Eliasson talks to Lily Cole

    Olafur Eliasson and Lily Cole

    Olafur Eliasson creates engaging artworks inspired by his interests in perception, colour, movement, and the interaction of people and their environments. Social and environmental issues lie at the heart of his work. Environmentalist and activist Lily Cole talks to the artist about some of his best-known projects and the issues they address

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    Make a Rainbow

    Play with water and light, and create your own arty science experiment

  • Photograph from Art in Real Life: Addressing the Sustainability Challenge event at Tate Modern

    Art in Real Life: Addressing the Sustainability Challenge

    Watch Olafur Eliasson in conversation with key figures from the social and political sphere, exploring the potential of artists and art institutions to address global sustainability challenges and inspire change

  • Olafur Eliasson The Weather Project 2003 Installation view, Turbine Hall at Tate Modern

    The Art of Dreaming

    What can happen when we allow ourselves to dream? We explore the link between art and dreaming

Find out more

  • Artist

    Olafur Eliasson

    born 1967
  • Installation art

    The term installation art is used to describe large-scale, mixed-media constructions, often designed for a specific place or for a temporary period of time

  • Site-specific

    The term site-specific refers to a work of art designed specifically for a particular location and that has an interrelationship with the location

  • 16–25? Join Tate Collective for £5 tickets

    Find out more

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