Fujiko Nakaya’s installation, Cloud #07156, transforms the Rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection into a landscape of shifting vapor. As part of the exhibition Clair-obscur, this unique site-specific sculpture, her profound piece, engages directly with the concrete cylinder designed by architect Tadao Ando. The museum space becomes alive with billowing vapor, composed entirely of microscopic water droplets that constantly morph with air currents, revealing a dance of visibility and invisibility.
Her expressive dialogue with Ando’s architecture
For decades, Nakaya has explored fog as a medium, merging natural phenomena with technology. High-pressure pumps and specially engineered nozzles atomize water into droplets mirroring the composition of natural fog, about twenty to thirty microns in diameter. These remarkable creations describe this interplay as a conversation with natural forces, allowing wind, humidity, and human movement to shape the fog’s ephemeral character.
The striking installation resonates with the Japanese concept of ma, the space between things. It’s a tangible manifestation that shifts emptiness into a perceptible experience, enhancing interaction with both the architectural and natural environment. The title, Cloud #07156, pays homage to the closest meteorological station, tying the indoor experience to Paris’s atmospheric conditions.
Inside the Clair-obscur exhibition
Curated by Emma Lavigne, with art and media historian Anne-Marie Duguet, Clair-obscur places Nakaya’s work at its heart. This section of the exhibition focuses on themes of visibility and atmospheric perception, featuring artists like Trisha Donnelly and Wolfgang Tillmans. Her meditative fog not only dialogues with the monumental architecture but also alters visitors’ perception of the space, making the architectural experience both temporal and interactive.
Explore how Shawn Huckins encases contemporary realities in art, echoing the environmental themes seen in Nakaya’s fog installation at the Rotunda.
Visitors encounter the installation beneath the historic dome, with the fog forever shifting, dissolving spatial boundaries, and inviting reflection on nature and perception. The innovative installation emphasizes the transient interaction between solid architecture and the intangible fog, continuously redefining the Rotunda’s interplay of light, air, and structure.
The exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce runs from June 4th to August 24th, 2026, inviting you to experience this unique harmony of nature and design.
For another transformative experience in art, check out how Néle Azevedo explores the temporary nature of art, a concept also present in Nakaya’s fog installations.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
What medium does Fujiko Nakaya use in her installation?
Fujiko Nakaya uses fog as a medium in her installation, merging natural phenomena with technology. The fog is composed entirely of microscopic water droplets that constantly morph with air currents.
How is Cloud #07156 linked to Paris’s weather?
The title Cloud #07156 pays homage to the closest meteorological station, tying the indoor experience to Paris’s atmospheric conditions.
When is the exhibition at Bourse de Commerce running?
The exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce runs from June 4th to August 24th, 2026.