French Exit 2023
French Exit is an installation that mirrors society’s quiet, collective engagement with the banal. The suspended cloud of dried grass evokes the subtlety of everyday moments, using this fragile material to create a shared space that invites viewers to consider the overlooked simplicity of our routines. Rather than urging meditation, French Exit stands as a detached reflection on the rituals that shape our daily existence—an observation of the familiar spaces we inhabit without pause. Installatio captures this banality as both a personal and collective experience, using it as a lens to explore how society moves through unnoticed rhythms.
Comfort Zone 2013
In Comfort Zone, I explore the boundaries between personal space and public environments, capturing candid images of sunbathers asleep on the beach. This project stems from my fascination with how we create, defend, and sometimes lose our private spaces even when surrounded by others. The sunbathers, cocooned in moments of complete vulnerability, embody a kind of unspoken social contract—the silent agreements that dictate our actions within shared spaces. Through this series, I wanted to capture a meditative, poetic reflection on how private comfort exists within a communal setting. The images aim to draw attention to the fragility of these boundaries and invite viewers to consider how we navigate the private and public in subtle, often unnoticed ways, revealing the beauty in these universally human moments.
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by COCA.
TADAO CERN
Lithuania
Tadao Cern is a Lithuanian-born artist whose work spans photography, installation, and painting, marked by an architectural rigor that informs his conceptual approach. Originally trained in architecture at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Cern entered the art world in 2011, creating projects that explore human behavior and the boundaries of personal space.
His acclaimed project Comfort Zone captures candid moments of beachgoers, examining the intersection of private and public realms. Featured in Vogue, Le Monde, and The New York Times, it highlights universal behaviors in shared environments. Another notable work, French Exit, reflects on absence and transience, using empty space to evoke a sense of departure.
Exhibited in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, Cern’s works reframe familiar objects and spaces, revealing overlooked aspects of human experience. His methodical approach distills each idea to its core, prompting viewers to rediscover the everyday with a fresh perspective