Olafur Eliasson reminds us that we each see the world differently
Experience the immersive installations of Olafur Eliasson / View full image
Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson creates art relevant to the world at large. During ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’, consider how perception, movement and participation shape the way we experience one another and the world around us. Engage with the installations and sculptures in the multi-sensory exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art until 12 July 2026 that pushes the boundaries of contemporary art, making you feel as if you’re inside the artwork.
View Presence 2025, a vast glowing sun that seems to pulse with energy; Beauty 1993, a shimmering rainbow emerging from darkness; Your negotiable vulnerability seen from two perspectives 2025, where the polarisation of light challenges viewers to question the ‘truth’ of what they see; and Your Truths 2025 where light plays with colour and our sight.
Eliasson’s work reminds us that we each see the world differently, even when standing side by side, and leads us to playfully reconsider how we make sense of what we perceive, awakening in us of the wonder in the everyday.
'Olafur Eliasson: Presence' entrance signage / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image
Installation view of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’ at the Gallery of Modern Art , Brisbane including (left) Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967; The morning small cloud series 2006; and (top) The Lost compass 2013 / © Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: C Baxter © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Pluriverse assembly 2021 / Projection screen, LED projectors, motors, electrical ballasts, control units, aluminium, brass, steel, stainless steel, plastics, lenses, optical components, glass, wood, dichroic filters, wire, fabric, paraffin oil, plants / 360 x 1000 x 383cm / © 2021 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: J Ruckli © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Your negotiable vulnerability seen from two perspectives 2025 / Polarisation filters, steel, wood, LEDs, motors, electrical ballast, polyhedron (PVC, resin, motor, control unit) / © 2025 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Your truths 2025 / Polarisation filters, PET, PVC, BOPP foil, fans, metal, control units / © 2025 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Beauty 1993 / Spotlight, water, nozzles, hose, pump / Purchased 2025. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust / Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © 1993 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: J Ruckli © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Presence 2025 / Stainless steel, aluminium, monofrequency lights, printed textile wedges, aluminium perforated sheets, mirror foil, glass mirror, wood / © 2025 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: C Baxter © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Firefly city 2025 / Coloured glass (purple), coloured glass (clear) with semi-transparent mirror colour-effect filter, colour-effect filter glass (blue, red), LEDs, aluminium, stainless steel, paint (black), wire, motor, ballast / 103cm (diam.) / © 2025 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: J Ruckli © QAGOMA / View full image
Installation view of 'Olafur Eliasson: Presence' at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane including (back) Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967; The glacier melt series 1999/2019 2019; and (front) Model for your circular city 2024 / © Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA / View full image
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Your lost lighthouse (Installation view, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane) 2020 / Lighthouse lens (c.1900), colour-effect filter cylinder, halogen light bulb, fluorescent light, brass, steel, ballast 217 x 96 x 96cm / © 2020 Olafur Eliasson / Courtesy: The artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image
![Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Riverbed 2014 / Water, rock (volcanic stones [blue basalt, basalt, lava], other stones, gravel, sand), wood, steel, plastic sheeting, hose, pumps / Purchased 2021. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust / Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, QAGOMA / © 2014 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: K Bennett © QAGOMA](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/m2obzhc2/production/1a4d65f6a0022ba7507e1dff6b6dab2a2db50151-2000x1321.jpg/WEB-BLOG-Olafur%20Eliasson-20260318_kbennett_Presence_Artandwellbeing_PresenceinPractice016.jpg?rect=0,2,2000,1319&w=320&h=211&q=90&fit=max)
Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Riverbed 2014 / Water, rock (volcanic stones [blue basalt, basalt, lava], other stones, gravel, sand), wood, steel, plastic sheeting, hose, pumps / Purchased 2021. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust / Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, QAGOMA / © 2014 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: K Bennett © QAGOMA / View full image
Delve into the work of Olafur Eliasson — immersive installations that play with light, colour and perception.
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’