Installation Art: 13 of the Most Immersive Works
In the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art, installation art emerges as a captivating and immersive experience that transcends traditional mediums. This form of artistic expression invites viewers to step into a world where the boundaries between observer and the observed blur, transforming the way we perceive and interact with art.
This blog post explores the fascinating realm of installation art, revealing 13 extraordinary works that have left an indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Discover the artistry that goes beyond the confines of traditional galleries and museums, pushing the boundaries of what art can be and the impact it can have on those fortunate enough to experience it firsthand. Welcome to a world where art becomes an immersive journey, and the observer becomes an integral part of the masterpiece.
What is Installation Art?
Installation art is usually a large-scaled piece, set up in a specific room or area of a gallery or museum. It’s designed to transform the space and immerse you into the experience in a way that individual art pieces do not.
The installation art I love the most sucks you in and demands your focus – it pulls you out of your day, and even the space you are in – if only for a moment. But it does so in a way that feels safe and invited.
From this point of view, the following installation art pieces are some of my very favorites from the past 100 years. I’m excluding nature installation art in this roundup, but you can see all sorts of wonderful environmental installation art here.
Installation Art
Chiharu Shiota, Uncertain Journey
Evoking thoughts of a string art bloodbath, Chiharu Shiota’s installation piece must feel overwhelming and fascinating to experience. It’s hard to decide if the pieces are being enveloped by the strings or released by them, but the effect is nonetheless beautiful. And so, so surreal.
Christo, Big Air Package
Big Air Package, an enormous inflated billowy white world, was constructed in a gasometer-turned-exhibition space in Germany. At 295 feet high, visitors could step inside, and experience what photographer Wolfgang Volf described as what heaven might be like.
Les Astronautes, Delirious Frites
During the annual Passages Insolites (Unusual Passages): An Outdoor Public Art Festival in Quebec City, the entire city becomes an exhibition space. Since 2014, EXMURO has been presenting these summer public art installation by artists, and it seems to grow and spread every year.
This pool noodle installation was a fun nod to summer set up in a narrow alley where people could walk through and interact with it.
Olafur Eliasson, The Weather Project
Ahhhh, that glowy sunset perfect light time of evening where everything seems perfect, people pause for a moment to let day become night. Olafur Eliasson created this space filled with glow, a little bit of mist, and a reflective mirror ceiling that inspired people to interact and linger.
Listen to the audio about it on We Present.
Tomás Saraceno, Galaxies Forming Along Filaments, like Droplets Along the Strands of a Spider’s Web
Tomas Saraceno installed this piece at the 2009 Venice Bienniale, based on the black widow spider’s geometrically complex webs and how they correlate to the universe.
Jacob Hashimoto, Clouds and Chaos
The Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas was taken over by an undulating swarm of discs hung by artist Jacob Hashimoto, to simulate clouds as they hang above us, and weave throughout and around everything.
I imagine the effect was lovely as museum-goers felt a little bit of the mysterious magic of clouds seeping into the indoor space and hanging silently above their heads.
Nike Savvas, Atomic: Full of Love, Full of Wonder
This is a stunning installation piece captured by blogger Li-Chi Pan as she got to experience it firsthand in Sydney. 1000s of hanging balls swayed gently in the breeze of a few fans and must have been truly mesmerizing.
Charles Petillon, Distortions and Heartbeat
I’m sort of speechless at not only the number of balloons used in these installations, but also how breathtaking of an effect they make – how perfect they are in these environments.
You can’t help but wonder how many of them pop. You can’t help but make the connection between how precarious and ghostlike they are, yet invading these giant spaces with full force.
Gabriel Dawe, Plexus no. 31
I’ve written about Gabriel Dawe before, but how can I miss a chance to share more of his work? Rainbows are the central theme in his ethereal thread installations, and this one in particular seems like it would be extremely satisfying to walk around and experience in real life.
Soo Sunny Park, SSVT Vapor Slide
Can you imagine standing within this and feeling its presence hovering above you? From her site:
Light is usually treated as a liminal being: something that mediates our visual awareness of the world, but not something that we see in and of itself. In my work, light is not just a means by which the form is seen, but part of what constitutes the work of art. Light is a sculptural material, not because without it one cannot see the forms, but because without it there is no projection, reflection, translucency, or shadow, so the drawing/ sculpture is not complete.
Yayoi Kusama, A Bouquet of Love I Saw in The Universe, and The Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth
No installation art list would be complete without including Yayoi Kusama, so here are 2 of her pieces, both transporting you out of the real world into her vision of never ending dots, mirrors, and lights – a representation of her own hallucinations and visions experienced as a girl.
This post was updated December 5, 2023
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