Artist James Turrell has finalized "As Seen Below - The Dome," a groundbreaking Skyspace installation at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. This colossal work, set to open to the public on June 19, 2026, represents Turrell's largest Skyspace project within a museum environment. It serves as the capstone of the museum's extensive expansion initiative, "The Next Level." The installation, towering 16 meters high and spanning 40 meters in diameter, transforms the perception of the sky, rendering it a tangible element influenced by architectural design, temporal shifts, and illumination.
For over five decades, Turrell's artistic practice has centered on light, proposing it as an entity to be experienced and inhabited rather than merely observed. His Skyspaces, characterized by architectural enclosures with an aperture framing the sky, are among his most celebrated creations. They encourage a heightened state of awareness, prompting visitors to engage with the subtle transformations of natural light.
"As Seen Below - The Dome, a Skyspace" elevates this concept beyond Turrell's previous museum-based endeavors. Patrons enter the installation via a subterranean, illuminated passageway, leading them into the expansive domed chamber. Within this space, Turrell's precisely calibrated lighting system bathes the interior surfaces, subtly altering how the sky is perceived through the central oculus. In contrast to many Skyspaces designed for individual or intimate contemplation, this work is envisioned as a communal setting. The grand scale of the dome facilitates a shared experience of light's evolution over time, highlighting seasonal changes and daily cycles. According to ARoS, the installation is crafted to underscore humanity's connection to nature, the celestial expanse, and the concept of a shared global existence.
The debut of "As Seen Below - The Dome, a Skyspace" signifies the completion of ARoS' "The Next Level" expansion, a multi-year project developed in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. This initiative also includes The Salling Gallery, an underground exhibition area for annual contemporary commissions, which debuted in June 2025, and the Art Square, a permanent outdoor art platform slated for a 2026 opening. Turrell's dome acts as the conceptual and spatial cornerstone of this transformation, merging architecture, landscape, and perception into a unified artistic statement. Rebecca Matthews, Director of ARoS, enthusiastically declared the upcoming public opening in June 2026 as a pivotal moment in the museum's history, expressing pride that ARoS will host the artist's most significant Skyspace to date—an exceptional piece that invites visitors to pause, look upward, and engage with light, time, and space in profoundly moving ways.
The ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is preparing to unveil James Turrell's monumental Skyspace, "As Seen Below - The Dome," in June 2026. This permanent installation, the artist's largest within a museum, culminates the museum's significant expansion project, "The Next Level." The work invites collective contemplation of light and the sky, fostering a deeper connection to nature and a shared global experience through its unique architectural and sensory design.