In ‘Presence’, Icelandic–Danish artist Olafur Eliasson invites us on an expansive, multi-sensory journey that engages our sense of perception. Choose your path through a primordial landscape, encounter moments that heighten awareness and envision the future form of our city.

This Brisbane-exclusive exhibition draws from the three‑decade career of one of the world’s most influential living artists. Spanning GOMA’s ground floor galleries, it includes important early works and expansive site-specific installations, many developed especially for ‘Presence’.

From the early work Beauty 1993, which suspends a rainbow in a veil of mist, to Pluriverse assembly 2021, a spatial installation that unfurls ever-changing reflections of light, Eliasson's creations come to life as they meet the viewer's senses and body.

Two much-loved QAGOMA works feature: the rocky landscape and running water of the immense and immersive Riverbed 2014 (wear comfortable shoes); and The cubic structural evolution project 2004, a huge all-white LEGO city perpetually built and rebuilt by visitors throughout the exhibition.

Eliasson's artistic practice is grounded in the distinctive forms of his familial home Iceland, reflected in a selection of photographs of the landscape, light and human experience of the country.

Find out more about works from the QAGOMA Collection featured in the exhibition, below, or view the full list of works via the interactive exhibition companion.

‘Presence’ is on display from December 2025 to July 2026 at GOMA. To make the most of your visit, check the exhibition dates, get information on getting here and parking, and find out about Gallery accessibility. 

Feature image: Installation view of Olafur Eliasson's Riverbed 2024, installed at GOMA 2019 / Purchased 2021. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, QAGOMA / © 2014 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: N Harth, QAGOMA