Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is joining forces with ARoS Aarhus Art Museum for an ambitious new project. The partnership will bring a major exhibition, new installations and a public research space to the Danish city.

The project, called Shared Futures, aims to make art part of everyday life. It will also explore climate change, nature and the way people experience the world around them.

A glowing sculpture joins the museum’s collection

One of the main highlights is Presence (2025), a large installation that looks like a floating yellow sphere.

The work uses mirrors, special lighting and optical patterns to create the illusion of movement. Its surface appears to change as visitors walk around it.

The installation takes inspiration from images of the Sun. It uses visual details based on the movement of hot material across the Sun’s surface.

ARoS will add Presence to its permanent collection. Visitors will also see the work as part of the museum’s upcoming exhibition.

Thin Ice explores our relationship with the environment

The partnership will include a major exhibition called Thin Ice, opening in autumn 2027.

The show will bring together important works from Eliasson’s career and new installations. It will focus on climate, ecology and humanity’s relationship with nature.

One new work will recreate the feeling of walking across thin ice. Visitors will become more aware of their steps and the impact of their movements.

The installation also carries a wider message. It invites people to think about their own actions and their effect on the planet.

A new waterfall will transform the museum’s outdoor space

Eliasson will also create a new version of his famous Waterfall installation.

The work will appear at ARoS’s outdoor Art Square from 9 October 2027. It will bring the look and sound of a natural waterfall into the public space.

However, visitors will also see the structure behind the effect. This is a key part of Eliasson’s work, which often explores the relationship between nature and human-made environments.

The installation will allow people to experience art outside the museum galleries.

A library and research project will support the partnership

Shared Futures will go beyond exhibitions and public installations.

The project includes a library dedicated to Eliasson’s artistic work. It will give visitors, students and researchers access to books and digital material.

ARoS will also work with Aarhus University to create a postdoctoral research position. This will support further study of the artist’s ideas and creative process.

The partnership builds on more than 20 years of collaboration between Eliasson and ARoS.

His famous Your Rainbow Panorama has been a major feature of the museum since 2011. The colourful circular walkway on the museum’s roof has also become a well-known landmark in Aarhus.

With Shared Futures, ARoS hopes to build on that relationship. The project will give visitors new ways to experience art while encouraging discussion about the future of the planet.