tadao cern suspends a cloud of dried grass strands in immersive installation 'french exit'

‘french exit’ by lithuanian artist tadao cern is an immersive art installation where suspended dried grass covers the entire ceiling of an otherwise empty room. the project groups together dried grass strands, transforming an everyday, easily accessible item into a contemplative work of art. cern explains the meaning behind the title ‘french exit’, saying: ‘french exit is a term that describes the act of leaving a social gathering or bad date without saying goodbye. ​​it is the same as ghosting, irish goodbye, and dutch leave. the french exit is often performed by people who don’t want to take the time to say goodbye to others.’

all images courtesy of tadao cern

tadao cern is a lithuanian artist with a background in architecture, who in 2010 decided to turn his focus to the contemporary art field. influenced by his architectural training, his works question what affects human actions in a certain way, and whether those things can be changed. ‘I consider art field as a laboratory for homo sapiens where each art piece is an experiment helping to distinguish our actions/interactions and natural behavior boundaries – as an artist you can document, change, create or get rid of them,’ notes cern on his artistic approach.

in ‘french exit’, cern has suspended dried grass strands from the ceiling of an empty room, creating an immersive, contemplative experience. the soft beige tones and fluffy textures of the strands blend together, forming a large ‘cloud’ that floats above the viewer. the artist lists michael heizer, georgia russell, alberto burri, and walter de maria as some of his references for the project, while in a short description, he says, ‘I am filling pages of our collective memory book, because we might be leaving without a proper goodbye.’

project info:

name: french exit

artist: tadao cern