James Turrell and the museum Skyspace in Aarhus
Published on 08/31/2026 at 13:28 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
James Turrell has reshaped how museums work with light and space for more than five decades. His latest Skyspace As Seen Below – The Dome at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark adds a monumental underground dome to the museum’s permanent collection, as architecture outlet ArchDaily reports.ArchDaily feature on ARoS expansion
The Skyspace at ARoS Aarhus
The installation As Seen Below – The Dome forms the centerpiece of ARoS’s new underground expansion The Next Level, designed by Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen beneath Musikhusparken in central Aarhus. Visitors enter through a passage into a circular chamber capped by a large dome framing the sky.
Rising 16 meters high and spanning 40 meters in diameter, the dome is described as the largest Skyspace Turrell has realized within a museum context to date. Over 1,100 LEDs bathe the interior in shifting color sequences, altering how viewers perceive the sky through the oculus at the apex.
Exhibition and show context
As Seen Below – The Dome is part of ARoS’s permanent collection rather than a temporary show, integrating Turrell’s work into the museum’s broader light-art program alongside earlier rooftop interventions. The piece completes over two decades of collaboration between the city, museum and architects since ARoS opened in 2004.
The installation offers multiple viewing modes, including Open Sky, Colour Shift and Twilight sequences that respond to daylight and seasonal changes, creating a collective experience around light, time and perception, as detailed in a feature by Galerie Magazine. Special bookings allow sunrise and sunset sessions inside the dome.
All news and background on James Turrell
For more reporting on James Turrell’s exhibitions, museum projects and light installations, AD HOC NEWS collects current articles and analyses in one overview.
How the artist works
Turrell’s Skyspaces, begun in the 1970s, are architecturally integrated chambers open to the sky that choreograph changing light and color over time. He treats light as a material, inviting viewers to sit, look and feel shifts in perception rather than observe conventional images.
As Seen Below – The Dome extends strategies tested in earlier Skyspaces by scaling the format to a 40 meter dome and embedding it into a major public museum. The work aligns with Turrell’s long term focus on immersive, contemplative environments, from Skyspaces worldwide to the Roden Crater project in Arizona.
Where James Turrell stands now
Against this backdrop, James Turrell’s practice currently centers on large scale, permanently sited light works such as As Seen Below – The Dome at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, while Skyspaces and related installations continue to appear in institutional programs internationally.
Key facts on James Turrell
- Artist: James Turrell
- Medium / Genre: Installation and light art
- Born: 1943, Los Angeles, United States
- Place(s) of practice: Studio work between the United States and large scale international commissions
- Active since: Late 1960s, with early light installations and perceptual works
- Key work groups: Skyspaces, Roden Crater, Ganzfeld, Perceptual Cells
- Current/last exhibition: Lifting the Veil, Gagosian Hong Kong, May 28–August 1, 2026
- Major collections: MoMA (New York), Guggenheim Museum (New York), Museum of Fine Arts (Houston), ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (Aarhus)
- Awards: MacArthur Fellowship 1984, National Medal of Arts 2013
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about James Turrell
Where can I experience James Turrell’s Skyspace As Seen Below – The Dome?
The installation is part of the permanent program at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark, in the museum’s underground expansion beneath Musikhusparken.
How large is James Turrell’s dome at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum?
The dome of As Seen Below – The Dome measures approximately 16 meters in height and 40 meters in diameter, making it Turrell’s largest Skyspace realized within a museum setting.
What defines James Turrell’s approach to light and perception?
Turrell designs architectural spaces where programmed light and framed views of the sky lead viewers to experience color, brightness and spatial depth as changing phenomena over time, rather than fixed images.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
