British artist Luke Jerram is no stranger to the Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Sarawak.
Two years ago, he unveiled Museum Of The Moon – a glowing lunar installation that gently pulled the wonder of the night sky down to Earth.
Last year, Gaia followed, offering visitors a rare, floating view of our planet in three dimensions, both humbling and quietly awe-inducing.
Now, Jerram is turning up the temperature.
His latest installation, Helios, opened last month at Borneo Cultures Museum, shifting the gaze from moon to Earth – and straight to the blazing heart of our solar system.
In Greek mythology, Helios is the sun god who drives a four-horse chariot across the sky, marking the hours and seasons.
This touring artwork of the sun is also making its Asian debut. Launched earlier this year, Helios has already drawn large crowds, with more than 118,000 visitors experiencing the artwork during its tour of National Trust properties across Britain.
At the Borneo Cultures Museum, it’s best to visit early - this holiday season - to enjoy the clearest and most unhurried views of Helios.
Measuring 7m in diameter, Helios is wrapped in 72dpi imagery that captures the sun’s surface in remarkable detail.
Scaled at approximately 1:200 million, every centimetre of the glowing sphere represents about 2,000km of the sun’s vast terrain.
Jerram's installation is a fusion of solar imagery, animated lighting and a specially created surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson.
As the artwork’s description notes, looking directly at the sun is dangerously harmful to our eyesight.
Helios offers a safer alternative – inviting visitors to step close and examine its extraordinary features, from dark sunspots to delicate spicules and sweeping filaments, all without having to look skyward or squint into the light.
The Helios installation is showing at the Borneo Cultures Museum until July 17, 2026.
