{"id":548678,"date":"2026-01-28T07:33:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/548678\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T07:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:33:18","slug":"an-expansive-new-skyspace-by-perceptual-artist-james-turrell-debuts-in-aarhus-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/548678\/","title":{"rendered":"An Expansive New ‘Skyspace’ by Perceptual Artist James Turrell Debuts in Aarhus \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the 1960s, James Turrell<\/a> has been a pioneer of what he describes as \u201cperceptual art,\u201d exploring the dynamics of light, space, scale, and human feeling in a wide range of installations. His magnum opus, \u201cRoden Crater<\/a>,\u201d has been in progress since 1977 in an extinct volcanic cinder cone near Flagstaff, Arizona. When completed, it will contain six tunnels into the crater bowl and two dozen viewing areas.<\/p>\n

Since the mid-1970s, Turrell has also been known for an ongoing series of site-specific installations known as Skyspaces. They take many forms, from standalone domed constructions to apertures installed in the ceilings of museums. From MASS MoCA<\/a> to a destination fishing village<\/a> in Uruguay to a Quaker meeting house<\/a> in Houston, the artist\u2019s immersive spaces invite viewers to not only experience but inhabit a unique convergence of light, architecture, and the celestial realm.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

Skyspace comprises dozens<\/a> of the installations around the world. The newest, titled \u201cAs Seen Below,\u201d was recently unveiled at ARoS<\/a> in Aarhus, Denmark. Its expansive interior includes a dome, which is bathed in light that changes color, punctuated with an oculus at its zenith. The circular window lets in a view of the sky, which interacts with the interior hues at varying times of day and during different types of weather. At more than 50 feet high and 130 feet across, it\u2019s the largest Skyspace work Turrell has created within a museum context.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurrell\u2019s precisely calibrated light bathes the space in colour and makes the opening to the sky appear both boundless and close,\u201d the museum says. Visitors arrive via a subterranean corridor, which leads to the spacious hall. Benches line the periphery, and viewers can wander around a broad floor to experience different vantage points.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018As Seen Below,\u2019 I\u2019m shaping the experience of seeing rather than delivering an image,\u201d Turrell says in a statement. \u201cThe architecture holds the sky close, so you recognise that the act of looking is the work itself. Here light isn\u2019t description; it\u2019s the substance you stand within. In this Skyspace, the day has weight, the evening has temperature, and the change belongs to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Seen Below\u201d will open to the public on June 19.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/a><\/p>\n

\"James<\/a><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

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