Olafur Eliasson headlines ambitious 2027 exhibition programme at ARoS

ARoS presents the first solo exhibition in Denmark dedicated to Paula Rego, alongside new site-specific art projects by Olafur Eliasson, Lap-See Lam, and Julien Creuzet. The 2027 programme also features a solo exhibition of Lene Adler Petersen, large-scale immersive installations and world-class figurative art.

In autumn 2027, ARoS presents Thin Ice, a major solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Reflecting the artist’s growing engagement with climate and ecology, the exhibition will also premiere an entirely new work, Thin Ice, which gives the exhibition its title.

The exhibition marks the beginning of Olafur Eliasson × ARoS – Shared Futures, a new long-term collaboration between Studio Olafur Eliasson and ARoS, which today holds one of Europe’s largest of his works.

New voices on the international art scene

Two of the most exciting artists of a new generation will also take centre stage at ARoS in 2027. Lap-See Lam and Julien Creuzet are both creating ambitious new site-specific art projects for ARoS.

Both artists work with richly layered, sensory environments that connect personal stories with broader questions of history, identity and belonging. Lap-See Lam represented the Nordic countries at the 2024 Venice Biennale, while Julien Creuzet represented France.

From immersive worlds to powerful figurative art

Another major highlight of the 2027 programme is the first solo exhibition in Denmark dedicated to Paula Rego (1935–2022), one of the most significant and influential artists of her generation. Celebrated internationally for her uncompromising figurative language, Rego challenged authority, patriarchal structures and traditional perceptions of gender and power throughout her career. Following major retrospectives at Tate Britain in London and MUNCH in Oslo, ARoS brings her extraordinary artistic legacy to Danish audiences.

The programme also includes Future Worlds, an exhibition exploring the meeting point between science fiction and contemporary art, inviting visitors into imagined futures shaped by technology, climate change and alternative realities.

ARoS will also present a major retrospective of Danish artist Lene Adler Petersen, exploring more than six decades of artistic practice at the intersection of the personal and the political. The exhibition marks the first major collaboration between ARoS and the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK).

Rebecca Matthews, Director of ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, says:

“With the opening of James Turrell’s As Seen Below in 2026, we took an important step in establishing ARoS as a leading international museum for installation art. In 2027, we take that ambition further with Olafur Eliasson, whose work brings some of the most pressing questions of our time into direct, physical experience. Alongside this, we present prominent and emerging artists who have challenged conventions, reshaped artistic traditions and opened up entirely new ways of seeing. What makes the coming year particularly exciting is the breadth of these artistic perspectives – and the opportunity to experience them together at ARoS.”

Stinna Toft, Chief Curator at ARoS, adds:

“The exhibition programme as a whole has been developed with a focus on building bridges between the past, present and future, creating opportunities for surprising encounters, moments of recognition and new insights for the museum’s many visitors.”

Explore the full 2027 exhibition programme.

Press images can be downloaded via Dropbox and may be used when giving due credit.

For further information, please contact:
ARoS Press and Communications
presse@aros.dk
+45 61904942

Credit: Olafur Eliasson, Presence, 2025