Carsten Höller: interactive art and experience as sculpture

Carsten Höller: from scientific research to contemporary art

Carsten Höller (Brussels, 1961) is a German artist internationally acclaimed for his interactive installations that invite viewers to experience art physically and sensorially. With a background in biology and ethology, Höller brings a scientific approach to contemporary art, exploring how perception and human behavior shift in environments conceived as inhabitable sculptures.

His works are not static objects but immersive experiences: giant slides, darkened passageways, labyrinthine structures and environments where audience participation is essential.

The artistic style of Carsten Höller

Höller redefines sculpture as an expanded field where architecture, play and sensory experimentation merge. His projects rely on large-scale industrial materials, requiring advanced metalworking and technical structures to ensure strength and safety.

The planning of such installations also demands a high level of artistic consultancy, addressing technical, spatial and audience interaction aspects.

Iconic works by Carsten Höller

Some of his most famous creations include:

• Test Site (2006), at Tate Modern in London: a series of giant slides that allowed visitors to descend from multiple levels of the museum.

• Soma (2010), at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin: a large-scale installation inspired by myth, featuring reindeer and hallucinogenic fungi as part of a living experiment.

• Decision (2015), at Hayward Gallery, London: an immersive journey where visitors were forced to make choices in a labyrinthine environment.

• Isometric Slides, installed in various museums and public spaces, have become emblematic of his playful, participatory art.

Carsten Höller and large-scale experiences

Höller transforms museums, galleries and public spaces into laboratories of perception. The complexity of these works requires technical design, structural engineering and sculpture logistics and installation, ensuring both feasibility and audience experience.

His work constantly raises the question: is art something we observe, or an experience we live?

International recognition

Carsten Höller has exhibited at prestigious institutions such as Tate Modern (London), Guggenheim Museum (New York), Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid) and Fondazione Prada (Milan). His installations have redefined interactive art, placing him among the most important figures of global contemporary practice.

Conclusion

Carsten Höller turns experience itself into sculpture. His slides, labyrinths and sensory experiments not only transform spaces but also change how we understand art.

👉 At Alfa Arte, we collaborate with artists and architects to realize large-scale installations, offering expertise in casting, technical structures and international assembly.