10AM–7PM
SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Singapore Citizens & PRs: $15 | Tourists and Foreign Residents: $20 | Concession tickets available
The travelling exhibition Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey is the first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia dedicated to the work of Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. The survey exhibition presents a broad range of artworks that employ diverse media to touch on the major themes of his three-decade-long practice – embodiment, experience, perception, as well as the urgency of climate action and more-than-human perspectives. In his art practice, Eliasson has been driven by the desire to make the ungraspable tangible. Artworks like Beauty (1993), Symbiotic seeing (2020), Ventilator (1997); and Adrift compass (2019) use ephemeral materials, such as light, wind, fog, and water, to conjure evanescent phenomena – shimmering rainbows, swirling mists, the split-second sculptural form of a spouting fountain – or make invisible elements of our surroundings like air or magnetic fields experienceable. Other works, like The cubic structural evolution project (2004), invite visitors to collaborate on creating shared experiences, building shared worlds.
SAM is the first stop for Your curious journey. Afterwards it travels to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, New Zealand (6 Dec 2024–2 March 2025); Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan (31 May–31 Aug 2025); Museum MACAN, Jakarta, Indonesia (21 Nov 2025–5 April 2026); and Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Manila, the Philippines (28 June–October 2026). The journeys that the artworks will take to each location over a period of three years is at the centre of one group of artworks on view in the exhibition: drawing devices installed in crates will create abstract drawings of the artworks’ long trip to their destination by truck, train, or boat. These visual traces will be on view at each leg of Your curious journey, bringing into the exhibition the global story behind the show’s development.
To compensate for the distances that the exhibition will travel, Eliasson and his team have sought ways to reduce its carbon footprint, including through changes in installation practice, maintenance, packaging, energy consumption, and, especially, transport. Artworks were selected that are lightweight, already located in the region, or whose materials can be sourced locally in order to keep transport distances to a minimum. Many of the artworks on view in the exhibition reflect Eliasson’s environmental concerns. The last seven days of glacial ice, 2024, for instance, presents the stages in a melting ice block that was found and scanned on a beach in Iceland, and The glacier melt series 1999/2019, a series of photographs taken by the artist in Iceland in 1999 and again from the same perspectives in 2019, shows the decimation of the country’s impressive glaciers over the past twenty years.
The works of artist Olafur Eliasson (IS/DK b. 1967) explore the relevance of art in the world at large. Since 1997, his wide-ranging solo shows – featuring installations, paintings, sculptures, photography, and film – have appeared in major museums around the globe. In 2003, he represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale, and later that year he installed The weather project at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, London. Eliasson’s projects in public space include The New York City Waterfalls, 2008; Fjordenhus, Vejle, 2018; and Ice Watch, 2014. In 2012, Eliasson founded the social business Little Sun, and in 2014, he and Sebastian Behmann founded Studio Other Spaces, an office for art and architecture. In 2019, Eliasson was named UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for climate action. In 2023, Eliasson received the Praemium Imperiale for outstanding contributions to the development, promotion, and progress of the arts from the Japanese Imperial Family.
Located in Berlin, Studio Olafur Eliasson comprises a large team of craftspeople, architects, archivists, researchers, administrators, cooks, art historians, and specialized technicians.
Find out more at olafureliasson.net
Olafur Eliasson, Symbiotic seeing, 2020, Installation view: Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, 2020, Photo: Franca Candrian;
Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles;
© 2020 Olafur Eliasson
Key Supporter: |
Major Supporters: |
Supporter: |
Special Thanks: Hong Leong Foundation
OPENING FESTIVITIES
Every Sat & Sun until 2 Jun | 12–5pm
Stop by our food truck to grab a delicious lunch, then enjoy complimentary airbrush tattoos and caricature drawings. Don't forget to cool off with some free ice cream!
GUIDED TOUR
Join us on a guided tour and gain insights on selected artworks in this tour of the exhibition, Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey.
• Access Tour (with SgSL):
- Sat, 1 Jun | 1–2pm | Register here
- Sat, 6 Jul | 3–4pm
- Sat, 7 Sep | 10.30–11.30am
• Senior Citizen-led Tour: Thu, 20 Jun | 3.30–5pm
• English Docent Tour: Every Thu to Sun, starting from 23 May | 2–3pm
• Japanese Docent Tour: Every Thu, Fri and third Sat of the month, starting from 18 May | 10.30–11.30am
*Visitors must purchase the exhibition admission tickets to participate in the programmes. Programmes are subject to change.
Watch this space for more exhibition-related programmes!
Embark on a journey of curiosity with our exclusive limited-edition merchandise, inspired by the exhibition’s artistic vision. Discover unique products like the iconic Little Sun Original and the eco-friendly Tote Bag from Little Sun, a social enterprise co-founded by Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen, promoting sustainable energy for all. Delve deeper into the experience with products reflecting the artworks, including our artistically crafted umbrella and postcard kits.
Available at Level 1 vending machine, located in SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, while stocks last!
Lamp dimensions: Diameter 12 cm, depth 2.9 cm
Stand dimensions: 23cm (L) x 13.5cm (H) x 12.5cm (B)
Introducing the ultimate solar-powered lighting package: the Little Sun Original and Stand combo! The iconic Little Sun Original, designed by artist Olafur Eliasson, offers high-quality, portable solar-powered light perfect for camping, festivals, and more. Kids love it as a nightlight or for playtime, making it a fantastic tool for teaching sustainability. Pair it with our versatile Stand accessory to transform your Little Sun Original into a desk lamp, reading light, or even a party centerpiece.
Dimensions: 29 x 32 cm
Material: 100% organic cotton
This Little Sun tote is the perfect companion for your sustainable adventures. It is based on the idea of working with a central, natural source of energy to bring power to everyone. The outline of the circle sits in the center of the tote bag, representing the sun and the renewable energy cycle. The yellow handles represent the everyday act of holding hands with the sun through the Little Sun project.
Dimensions: 21-inch, 32cm x 6cm
Approx. Weight: 435g
Drawing inspiration from Olafur Eliasson's captivating artwork Symbiotic seeing (2020), this umbrella adds a touch of artisty to your daily routine. Whether you are strolling through the city or exploring nature, let this umbrella accompany you in both style and functionality.
Size: A6 (10.5cm x 14.8cm)
No of postcards: 6 pieces
Capture the essence of the exhibition with our limited-edition postcard. Perfect for collectors, art enthusiasts, and anyone seeking to delve into your world of curosity.
Available for purchase from the Epigram Coffee Bookshop at SAM, Level 1
Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson is internationally renowned for installations that challenge the way we perceive and co-create our environments. Approaching issues such as our changing understanding of climate, time and space, this exhibition showcases a range of artworks that immerses audiences within a shared experience. This catalogue features full-colour documentation of the artworks, complemented by a curatorial essay and newly commissioned texts; a conversation with the artist as well as itinerant marginalia that illustrates the entanglements between his practice and artistic approaches.
Available for purchase from the Epigram Coffee Bookshop at SAM, Level 1
Retail price: 40 SGD (inclusive of GST)
Details: Softcover, 152pp
ISBN number: 978-981-18-8614-0
1993
Spotlight, water, nozzles, wood, hose, pump. Dimensions variable
In Beauty, a fine sheet of mist, reminiscent of a light drizzle, is illuminated by a singular spotlight in a darkened space. When viewed at just the right angle, a prismatic reflection of light reveals itself—a luminous rainbow that illustrates its namesake: beauty. Eliasson leaves Beauty’s mechanisms in full view—a simple combination of a spotlight, a punctured hose and us, the viewers—paring the rainbow down to its most essential constituents and demonstrating his continued interest in the formation of natural phenomena. Though the water is constantly flowing, the appearance of this apparition varies depending on our position relative to the artwork. As light is refracted and reflected on the water droplets differently, no two viewers see the same rainbow. The subject of Beauty is thus both the light and the viewer, which begs the question: Does the rainbow exist independently, or does it exist because we perceive it? This reflexivity that Beauty facilitates—combined with the exposed apparatus of the work—heightens our awareness of the very act of perception and our experience of seeing.
Collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Installation view of Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Beauty’ (1993), as part of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark; Photo: Joseph Nair, Memphis West Pictures; Image courtesy of the artist and Singapore Art Museum; © 1993 Olafur Eliasson
2009
Water, stainless steel, foam plastic, plastic, pump, nozzles, strobe light. Dimensions variable
Object defined by activity (then) consists of a water feature housed in a pitch-dark room. Its exuberant bursts of water are lit solely by a strobe light, which flickers ceaselessly at an aggressive tempo. Illuminated each time for a mere fraction of a second, we are barely able to register each fugitive image of the water’s mesmerising, organic and ever-changing form. While the consistent, uninterrupted sound of running water grounds us in real time, the work’s speed, high-key lighting and relentless, stroboscopic siege of spectacular imagery fragments and freezes this ongoing process into a multitude of micro-fissures in time. At once a dynamic physical installation and a series of still, fleeting frames, Object defined by activity (then) is perceived as simultaneously kinetic and static.
Installation view of Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Object defined by activity (then)’ (2020), as part of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark; Photo: Joseph Nair, Memphis West Pictures; Image courtesy of the artist and Singapore Art Museum; © 2020 Olafur Eliasson
2020
Lasers (cyan, yellow), fog machine, air ventilation system, audio. Dimensions variable
In Symbiotic seeing, the ceiling of a room seems to inhabit three states of matter at once. At first glance, it may appear flat and solid. Yet, upon closer inspection, this ceiling reveals itself to be a layer of liquid skin, with tiny swirling and eddying ripples. These effects are the result of coloured laser lights coalescing with periodically released fog. By incorporating ephemeral materials, Symbiotic seeing appears to occupy a liminal space between physical states and becomes an organic environment for contemplative movement that unfolds both personally and communally.
Symbiotic seeing is one of the two exclusive artworks that will only be showcased in Singapore as part of this travelling exhibition.
Detail view of Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Symbiotic seeing’ (2020), as part of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark; Photo: Joseph Nair, Memphis West Pictures; Image courtesy of the artist and Singapore Art Museum; © 2020 Olafur Eliasson
2004
White LEGO bricks (various sizes), wood, mirror. Dimensions variable
The cubic structural evolution project encourages active participation in the reforming of a Lego cityscape. Strewn atop a long table are heaps of white Lego bricks amongst towering skyscrapers and imaginative complexes. These buildings can be constructed and deconstructed, often at the same time, according to the whims of those seated around the table. By inviting us to add our own architectural masterpieces, Eliasson creates a welcoming space for free play and creativity. The cubic structural evolution project is an artwork that does not have a final form; it is made complete through our spirited engagement.
The cubic structural evolution project is one of the two exclusive artworks that will only be showcased in Singapore as part of this travelling exhibition.
Collection of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Installation view of Olafur Eliasson’s ‘The cubic structural evolution project’ (2004), as part of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark; Photo: Joseph Nair, Memphis West Pictures; Image courtesy of the artist and Singapore Art Museum; © 2020 Olafur Eliasson
1997
Monofrequency lights. Dimensions variable
Light features as a tensile material and marker of space in Yellow corridor, in which a row of monofrequency yellow lights illuminates the passageway between two galleries. At its most concentrated, the light desaturates everything it touches into shades of grey, limiting our visual spectrum of colours to a reduced range, which most are unaccustomed to. Here, Eliasson facilitates a somatic experience with the passage, which usually functions as a utilitarian connector between gallery spaces. Whilst Eliasson has applied similar monofrequency lights in other contexts, Yellow corridor is notable as an early example of his sustained interest in real-time colour grading. Towards the end of the corridor, the harsh yellow lights are tempered by the daylight streaming in from the museum’s windows, allowing us to gently transition back from an altered sensorial state.
The Juan & Patricia Vergez Collection, Buenos Aires
Installation view of Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Yellow corridor’ (1997), as part of ‘Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark; Photo: Joseph Nair, Memphis West Pictures; Image courtesy of the artist and Singapore Art Museum; © 2020 Olafur Eliasson