“I can change the sky to any colour you want.” American artist James Turrell (b. 1943) is synonymous with the Skyspace – a signature architectural form defined by a large aperture in the ceiling, often compared to the Pantheon in Rome. Inside, concealed LEDs subtly shift colour, altering the audience’s view of the clouds above. These installations can be found in more than 26 countries, from the UK to the USA, earning Turrell the nickname the “master of light.” More broadly, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant contemporary artists of our time, having spent more than five decades exploring colour, illumination and perception. As a young man, Turrell trained as a pilot, and his hours spent in the vast openness of the sky proved formative for his artistic vision. He first gained recognition in the 1960s as part of the Californian Light and Space movement, alongside Doug Wheeler, Larry Bell, Mary Corse and Robert Irwin, with his influence still evident today – not least in the immersive, perception-bending works of Olafur Eliasson.
Turrell now opens his 100th – and largest ever – Skyspace within a museum context. The new installation, which is titled As Seen Below, finds its permanent home in Denmark at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. Measuring 16 metres in height and 40 metres in diameter, it marks a significant addition to the gallery’s collection and a milestone in the artist’s long and storied career. “This is a transformative moment for ARoS,” says Rebecca Matthews, Museum Director and CEO. “With As Seen Below, we are not only presenting a landmark installation by one of the most important artists of our time, but also creating a place of wonder, reflection and connection. This remarkable work invites us to slow down, look anew and experience our relationship with the world around us in a profoundly different way.”
Contemplation has always been at the heart of Turrell’s Skyspaces, and As Seen Below is no exception. Visitors enter the work via an underground corridor before emerging into a vast domed chamber, where they are invited to slow down and “consider the world from a different perspective.” Turrell describes As Seen Below as “a collective experience driven by light and the poetry of seasons to emphasise our relationship to nature, the sky and our shared planet.” The work can be experienced in three different ways. In Open Sky mode, the aperture frames the changing clouds above. In Colour Shift, the hole is sealed, allowing various hues to transform and saturate the space. During transitions between day and night, Twilight sessions offer a gradual modulation of light as the Skyspace responds to sunrise and sunset.
As Seen Below arrives at a landmark moment for ARoS, following the completion of a major expansion developed in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects and Aarhus Municipality. The project includes The Salling Gallery – a pioneering subterranean exhibition space dedicated to annual contemporary art commissions, which opened in June 2025 – as well as the ARoS Art Square, a new permanent outdoor space. Aarhus’s Cultural Mayor, Jesper Kjeldsen, describes As Seen Below as “a giant leap for Aarhus,” whilst Mayor Anders Winnerskjold calls it “an ambitious undertaking” and “a world-class work of culture and architecture.” The addition of Turrell’s Skyspace is set to further cement the city’s reputation as a contemporary art hub. Winnerskjold adds: “The opening strengthens Aarhus as an international cultural destination and highlights the city’s ability to think big through collaboration.”
As Seen Below opens 19 June.
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. James Turrell, As Seen Below, 2026. Foto: Florian Holzherr © ARoS 2026. Sunrise in As Seen Below.
2. James Turrell, As Seen Below, 2026. Foto: Florian Holzherr © ARoS 2026. Sunset in As Seen Below.
3. James Turrell, As Seen Below – The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell. Photo: Adam Mørk, 2026.
4. James Turrell, As Seen Below, 2026. Foto: Florian Holzherr. © ARoS 2026. As Seen Below with outer lid on.
