French-Swiss conceptual artist Julian Charrière has created a permanent installation called "Breathe" at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania, Australia. The artwork allows visitors to inhale oxygen extracted from 2.4-billion-year-old iron ore sourced from Australia's Pilbara region. The oxygen is released through a Hofmann apparatus in a subterranean chamber, offering a solitary, immersive experience that connects each person to the Great Oxidation Event and the origins of aerobic life. The piece opens alongside Charrière's major exhibition "Hard Core," which explores geology and includes works previously shown at the Venice Biennale.
The work matters because it transforms a scientific process into a deeply personal, existential encounter with deep time and the Earth's history. By making each visitor the first living being to breathe that ancient oxygen, Charrière blurs the line between art, science, and ritual, creating a permanent installation that will remain part of Mona's underground space indefinitely. The project also highlights Mona owner David Walsh's willingness to support ambitious, site-specific conceptual art, reinforcing the museum's reputation as a destination for boundary-pushing, interdisciplinary work that challenges conventional museum experiences.