Olafur Eliasson: In real life

Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) grew up in Iceland and Denmark. In 1995 he founded Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin, which today includes craftsmen, architects, archivists, researchers, administrators, cooks, programmers, art historians and specialized technicians. Since the mid-1990s Eliasson has realised numerous major exhibitions and projects around the world.

11 July 2019 – 5 January 2020, Tate Modern, London

Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) returns to Tate Modern with a major exhibition of his career to date, following his world-renowned installation The weather project in 2003. That moment marked a turning point for contemporary art, transforming the iconic Turbine Hall into a social space where sculpture was bound up with the experience of being together with other visitors. In the 16 years since, Eliasson has been celebrated internationally as one of the most exciting artists working today. Now for the first time, UK audiences can discover the full range of his practice spanning three decades. Bringing together around 40 works – almost all of which have never been seen in this country, including some created especially for the exhibition – Olafur Eliasson: In real life offers unmissable experiences and shows how Eliasson brings to our attention some of today’s most urgent issues.

Eliasson creates works that continually prompt viewers to think about the nature of perception. Many of his installations play with reflections, inversions, after-images and shifting colours, to challenge the way we navigate and perceive our environments.

The exhibition explores geometry as a major theme that continues to characterise Eliasson’s practice today, with many works, such as Stardust particle 2014, created using complex interlocking shapes and crystalline structures.

Eliasson’s wide-ranging architectural projects are also explored here, including Fjordenhus in Denmark, completed last year. Viewers are offered behind-the-scenes insight into how Studio Olafur Eliasson works day to day and are invited to participate in collaborative making activities.