The London gallery's Turbine Hall entrance now houses a vast metal container containing no light whatsoever. Measuring 15m in height and 30m in length, all light vanishes as soon as visitors venture a few feet inside. Polish artist Miroslaw Balka, said the darkness in his creation is a metaphor for life.

"Sometimes you meet a person who seems strange to you at first but then you get to know them and they become your friend," he said.  The artwork filling the Turbine Hall space has caused controversy and generated massive interest for a number of years. Previous works include a huge crack in the floor, which was built to illustrate how issues such as racism and poverty were causing fractures in society.

The cost of the latest installation - funded by Unilever and Tate Modern - has not been disclosed. Curator Helen Sainsbury said: "I would say to people come and see it. It's really the most amazing project we've had." The black hole artwork - officially titled How It Is - is open to the public until 5 April, 2010.

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