Imagine stepping into a grand, echoing hall—its walls dripping with history, its air thick with the weight of time. Suddenly, a soft, billowing cloud materializes before your eyes, floating impossibly in the stillness. It hovers for a heartbeat, a delicate wisp of nature defying the confines of the indoors, before vanishing as mysteriously as it appeared. This is no dream, but the breathtaking reality crafted by Dutch visual artist Berndnaut Smilde, a master of the ephemeral whose cloud installations have captivated the world.
A Journey into the Intangible
Berndnaut Smilde was born in 1978 in Groningen, Netherlands, a city known for its quiet charm and vibrant artistic heritage. His path to becoming a celebrated artist began with a deep curiosity about the fleeting and the impermanent. After honing his skills at the Minerva Academy, Smilde pursued a Master of Fine Arts at the Frank Mohr Institute, where he explored the intersections of sculpture, photography, and performance. It was in 2010 that his artistic journey took a defining turn. Fascinated by the interplay between the natural and the artificial, Smilde began experimenting with creating clouds indoors—an audacious idea that would soon become his signature. What started as a bold experiment evolved into a globally recognized body of work, blending art and science in a way that feels both magical and profound.
The Alchemy of Cloud Creation
So, how does Berndnaut Smilde conjure clouds in spaces where they have no business existing? The process is a delicate dance of precision, patience, and a touch of scientific wizardry. Smilde begins by transforming the environment itself, carefully adjusting the temperature and humidity to mimic the conditions of the upper atmosphere. Using a spray bottle, he mists the air with fine water droplets, creating a suspended veil of vapor. Then, with a smoke machine, he introduces a controlled burst of smoke. The tiny water particles latch onto the smoke, coalescing into a dense, cloud-like form that lingers in the air for mere seconds—typically five to ten—before dissolving into nothingness.
This fleeting creation is not just art; it’s a performance captured in a single, perfect photograph. Smilde’s clouds don’t exist for long, but their impact endures through the images that document them. His method requires not only an artist’s vision but also a scientist’s understanding of atmospheric physics, making each installation a testament to his unique genius.
Cloud Installations: A Gallery of the Ephemeral
Smilde’s cloud installations are more than just technical feats—they’re poetic interventions that transform the spaces they inhabit. He selects locations rich with character—museums, churches, castles, and theaters—where the contrast between the transient cloud and the permanence of the architecture amplifies the work’s surreal beauty. These installations are site-specific, each one tailored to its environment, yet united by their ability to evoke wonder and contemplation. The clouds appear as if they’ve drifted in from another world, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the impermanence of the moment.
The photographs of these installations are the true legacy of Smilde’s work. Since the clouds vanish almost as soon as they form, the images become the lasting artwork, freezing a split-second of impossibility for posterity. Exhibited in galleries worldwide, these photographs have turned Smilde’s fleeting creations into a global phenomenon.
The Nimbus Series: A Signature in the Sky
At the heart of Smilde’s oeuvre is the Nimbus series, an ongoing project that showcases his cloud-making prowess in diverse and unexpected settings. Launched in 2010, the series takes its name from the Latin word for “cloud” or “halo,” hinting at the almost divine quality of his creations. Each Nimbus installation features a cloud suspended in an indoor space, photographed against backdrops ranging from stark minimalism to ornate grandeur. The series includes works in venues like the Hotel Maria Kapel in the Netherlands, the ancient Baths of Diocletian in Rome, and even a castle in Scotland, each location adding its own layer of meaning to the artwork.
The Nimbus series is as much about the process as the product. Smilde’s clouds challenge traditional notions of sculpture, existing only momentarily before leaving behind a memory—and a photograph. This impermanence is what makes the series so compelling, earning it acclaim as a groundbreaking contribution to contemporary art.
Nimbus Green Room: A Cloud in a Palace
One standout in the Nimbus series is the Nimbus Green Room, created in the lavish Green Room of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. This opulent space, inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versaillesmeant to be a miniature Versailles, with its gilded details and soaring ceilings, provided a stunning stage for Smilde’s cloud. The photograph captures the cloud floating serenely amidst the room’s extravagant decor, its soft, organic form contrasting sharply with the rigid symmetry of the architecture. The Nimbus Green Room exemplifies Smilde’s knack for placing clouds in contexts that heighten their otherworldly allure, turning a momentary phenomenon into a timeless image.
Documenting the Ephemeral: Smilde’s Monograph
While Berndnaut Smilde has not authored a book in the traditional sense, his work has been immortalized in a monograph titled Builded Remnants. Released in conjunction with an exhibition, this publication offers a deep dive into his artistic practice, tracing the evolution of his cloud installations and featuring stunning photographs of his works. Builded Remnants serves as both a catalog and a reflection, providing insight into Smilde’s creative process and the philosophical underpinnings of his art. For collectors and enthusiasts, it’s a tangible piece of his otherwise intangible legacy.
From Experiment to Icon: A World-Renowned Artist
How did Berndnaut Smilde rise from a Dutch art student to a globally celebrated figure? The answer lies in his ability to captivate and innovate. His cloud installations transcend conventional art forms, merging sculpture, photography, and performance into a singular experience that resonates universally. By bringing the natural wonder of clouds into man-made spaces, Smilde challenges perceptions of reality, space, and time, inviting viewers to confront the beauty of the ephemeral.
His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues across Europe, North America, and beyond, earning him a devoted following. In 2012, TIME Magazine named the Nimbus series one of the top ten inventions of the year—a rare honor for an artist—recognizing its blend of creativity and technical ingenuity. Publications worldwide have featured his installations, and his photographs have become coveted pieces in the art market. Smilde’s rise to fame is a story of vision and persistence, proving that even the most fleeting ideas can leave a lasting mark.
A Legacy in the Air
Berndnaut Smilde’s cloud installations are marvels of art and science, moments of wonder that vanish almost as soon as they appear. Through his Nimbus series, including the unforgettable Nimbus Green Room, he has redefined what art can be—temporary yet eternal, delicate yet powerful. His journey from a curious student to a world-renowned artist is a testament to the power of imagination, and his creations continue to drift through the collective consciousness, as elusive and enchanting as the clouds themselves.
