Olafur Eliasson – Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, New Zealand

Journey through bursts of colour, swirling mists, shimmering light, invisible forces and living materials to discover new ways of seeing and understanding the world around us.

Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey arrives in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this summer, highlighting over 30 years of world-renowned artist Olafur Eliasson’s creative work. Featuring installations, sculptures and photographs that explore themes of human perception, experimentation, and environmental awareness, it marks the first solo showcase of the Icelandic-Danish artist in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Eliasson’s art makes the invisible elements of our surroundings tangible, whether it’s the air around us in Endlessly happy invisible endings, 2023, the transformative potential of colour in Yellow corridor, 1997, or the magnetic field wrapping a globe in Adrift compass, 2019.

The exhibition also offers insights into the logistical journey of Eliasson’s artworks, featuring drawings made in the crates used for their transport, underscoring the environmental considerations behind their creation.

As part of the exhibition, there will be a special-commissioned piece Under the weather, 2022 installed in the Gallery’s Te Atea | North Atrium. Suspended from the Gallery ceiling, this 11-metre elliptical disc flickers and changes as you move around the space. The moiré pattern created by overlapping grids invites reflection on perception and movement, altering your perception of the surrounding architecture.

Please note, this exhibition creates immersive and multisensory experiences that include darkened rooms, neon light works, flashing lights, simulated smoke and more. If you would like more information, please contact us here.

Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey has been developed in collaboration with Studio Olafur Eliasson, Singapore Art Museum, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Yayasan Museum MACAN, and Museum of Contemporary Art and Design DLS-CSB / MCAD.

The exhibition is supported by Auckland Art Gallery Foundation and presented in association with Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025.