Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Presence’ at QAGOMA: An immersive Exploration of Art, Perception, and Climate
A captivating new exhibition at Brisbane’s Queensland art Gallery and gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) brings together three decades of work by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, inviting visitors to question their perception of reality and confront the pressing issue of climate change. “Presence,” curated by Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow, is a masterful synthesis of Eliasson’s diverse practice – encompassing installation, photography, and sculpture – and a testament to QAGOMA’s long-term commitment to his groundbreaking artistry.
Art, as evidenced by the interactive Lego cityscape – hundreds of kilos of white bricks inviting collaborative construction – and the “Riverbed” installation, where guests can explore a rocky landscape and even test the temperature of the flowing water. This emphasis on participation is central to Eliasson’s artistic philosophy. As one analyst noted, the artist views the viewer not as a passive observer, but as a “vital co-producer” in the work itself.
Eliasson first gained international recognition for his ambitious installations, most notably the creation of a massive artificial sun for London’s Tate Modern in 2003. This early work established his reputation for pushing the boundaries of artistic possibility by recreating the sensation of being outdoors. “Presence” builds on this legacy, showcasing both iconic pieces like “Riverbed” (2014) and “The cubic structural evolution project” (2004) – both part of QAGOMA’s permanent collection – alongside newer creations.
The exhibition also delves into the conceptual underpinnings of Eliasson’s work,tracing its connections to 20th-century art movements like the Californian Light and Space movement and Minimalism. These movements, like Eliasson’s, prioritized the viewer’s physical and perceptual experience. His work, though, goes further, frequently enough serving as a powerful commentary on the climate emergency.
Eliasson’s commitment to environmental awareness is powerfully demonstrated in works like “Ice Watch” (2014), where he installed icebergs harvested from Greenland in public spaces in London and Paris, offering a stark visual reminder of glacial melt. Similarly, “The glacier melt series” (1998/2019) presents side-by-side photographs of Icelandic glaciers taken two decades apart, revealing the devastating impact of climate change with stark clarity. The series, devoid of human presence, echoes the “deadpan” photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher and the conceptual work of Ed Ruscha, focusing on objective documentation.
Beyond environmental concerns, Eliasson consistently explores the nature of representation itself. Installations like “Your timekeeping window” (2022) – featuring 24 glass spheres projecting an inverted, live feed of the street outside QAGOMA – playfully reference the historical camera obscura, a device that creates an image using light and a small hole. This analogy underscores Eliasson’s interest in the interplay between reality and illusion, the natural and the artificial.
He further emphasizes this tension through his frequent use of mirrors, a motif with a rich history in Western art. Mirrors, Eliasson demonstrates, not only reflect the world around us but also have the power to “fold the viewer into the work,” completing the artistic experience. This concept is brilliantly illustrated in “Pluriverse assembly” (2021), where the mechanics of the installation – rings, projectors, and mirrors – are revealed on the opposite side of the luminous screen, offering a “big reveal” that demystifies the artistic process.
Other works, such as “Your truths” (2025), explore the intersection of sound and light, creating immersive sensory experiences. The gentle scraping of plastic sheets blown by fans evokes the soothing sound of ocean waves, engaging the viewer’s auditory senses before they even register the visual component.
Olafur Eliasson: “presence” is on display at Brisbane’s QAGOMA until July 12, offering a profound and thought-provoking experience for all who encounter it.
