View Olafur Eliasson's 'Presence' at the Gallery of Modern Art

Tue 9 Dec 2025

The major exhibition 'Presence' by Berlin-based Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson is now at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), on display until 12 July 2026.

Globally renowned for installations that challenge how we perceive ourselves and the world around us, Eliasson’s work has included transporting melting Arctic ice that had broken away from glaciers to public spaces across European capitals and an all-encompassing 'sun' in the cavernous Turbine Hall at London’s Tate Modern.

Ice Watch 2014, Place du Panthéon, Paris

The weather project 2003, Tate Modern, London

Exclusive to Brisbane, ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’ occupies GOMA’s ground floor with major installations, sculptures, photo series, and more that invite visitors through shifting environments — from immersive works that play with light, colour and perception to a meticulously constructed riverbed.

Riverbed 2014

‘Presence’ embodied the artist’s belief in the audience as co-creators, with each visitor experiencing the artwork uniquely as they move through and interact with the exhibition. Informed by his expansive interests in architecture, design, science, the environment, psychology and wellbeing, Eliasson’s work investigates how we give shape to our experience of the world.

The exhibition invites us to explore light, land and life, and to reflect on how we connect with one another and the world around us. Eliasson’s work reminds us that we each perceive the world differently, even when standing side by side, and leads us to playfully reconsider how we make sense of what we perceive. This exhibition rewards curiosity, slowing down, taking our time. As we explore the artworks, we are sparked to ask: ‘What am I seeing?’ What we first see, or sense, will change.

Beauty 1993

The cubic structural evolution project 2004

‘Presence’ brings together iconic early works such as the shimmering, touchable rainbow Beauty 1993 with QAGOMA’s much-loved interactive installations, the ever-evolving Lego city of The cubic structural evolution project 2004 and the immense literal landscape of Riverbed 2014.

Three major new works have been created for the exhibition. As well as Presence 2025, the polarisation works Your negotiable vulnerability seen from two perspectives 2025 and Your Truths 2025 warp colour and shape to focus our attention on perception itself.

Presence 2025

Your negotiable vulnerability seen from two perspectives 2025

‘Presence’ is accompanied by an expansive publication produced in collaboration with Eliasson and his studio with contributions from celebrated writers Ceridwen Dovey and Robert Macfarlane, a curatorial essay and extended interview with the artist, as well as a range of exhibition merchandise.

The exhibition is complemented by QAGOMA’s interactive mobile companion, which includes an exhibition guide with curatorial insights, images, and behind-the-scenes videos, and a sense trail that invites visitors to experience selected artworks through gentle sensory prompts. When you buy your ticket to 'Presence', you’ll immediately get access to enhance your visit, so bring your headphones.

Companion Mobile Guide

Olafur Eliasson: Presence
6 December 2025 – 12 July 2026
Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
Gallery 1.1 (The Fairfax Gallery), Gallery 1.2 & Gallery 1.3 (Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery)
Brisbane, Australia
Get tickets to 'Olafur Eliasson: Presence’