Théo Mercier
Théo Mercier was born in Paris in 1984
He lives and works in Paris
Sculptor and stage director, Théo Mercier works on the relation between the work and its environment. In his installations, he mixes his own sculptures with objects or artifacts he collected over his travels, and seeks to create a real choreography of the eye for the viewer. Proclaiming a formal freedom in his practice, he strives to deconstruct the mechanisms of history, objects and representations in which he finds harmonious contradictions. By turns explorer, collector and artist, he engages in a reflection at the intersection of anthropology, geopolitics and tourism.
He studied in Paris at the National School of Industrial Design (ENSCI) and in Berlin at the Universität der Künste (UDK).
Théo Mercier has had personal exhibitions at the Concergiere, Paris (2022); Luma Westbau, Zurich (2022); Collection Lambert, Avignon (2021); Le Portique, Le Havre (2021); the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba (2019) ; Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris (2019); Museo El Eco, Mexico City (2017); Musée de l’Homme, Paris (2017); Musée d’art Contemporain, Marseille (2016); Lieu Unique, Nantes (2013); and Tri Postal, Lille (2012), among others.
He also participated in many collective exhibitions in international institutions such as Le Parvis, Tarbes (2022); Musée de la Vieille Charité, Marseille (2022); Pouchkine Museum, Moscow (2021); West Bund Museum, Shanghai (2021); Musée du Quai Branly, Paris (2021); Jameel Arts Center, Dubai (2019); Fonds Hélène et Edouard Leclerc, Landerneau (2019); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2018); Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City (2018); FRAC Bretagne, Rennes (2018); Museum of the archaeological site of Baalbek, Lebanon (2016); MAC VAL, Vitry-sur-Seine (2015); and Centre Pompidou, Paris (2013).
Shifting from a “white cube” to a “black box” practice, Mercier has directed Du futur faisons table rase (2014), Radio Vinci Park (2016, co-created with François Chaignaud), La Fille du collectionneur (2017), Affordable Solution for Better Living (2018, co-created with Steven Michel), BIG SISTERS (2020, co-created with Steven Michel) and OUTREMONDE, a series of living landscapes entirely made of sand sculpture (initiated in 2021). His performances have been presented at Nanterre-Amandiers; the Menagerie de verre, Paris; Usine C, Montreal; The Invisible Dog Art Center, New York; Actoral Festival, Marseille; Dampfezentrale, Bern; Vooroit Art Center, Ghent; or Vidy, Lausanne.
Théo Mercier was a resident at Villa Medicis in 2013, and nominated for the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2014. In 2019, he won the Silver Lion at the Venice Dance Biennale.
OUTREMONDE: The Sleeping Chapter -Exhibition View, Conciergerie, Paris, 2022
OUTREMONDE: The Sleeping Chapter -Exhibition View, Conciergerie, Paris, 2022
OUTREMONDE, Dream Hunters - Exhibition view, Luma Westbau, Zurich, 2022
Dog Day, 2022 - Stabilized sand, dog hair, and obsidian
Outremonde - Exhibition view, Collection Lambert en Avignon, 2021
Outremonde - Exhibition view, Collection Lambert en Avignon, 2021
Nécrocéan - Exhibition view, Le Portique, Le Havre, 2021
Nécrocéan - Exhibition view, Le Portique, Le Havre, 2021
Ex Africa - Exhibition view, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, 2021
Relation Prédation, 2020 - Wooden masks and PVC tube
La Cinquième Saison - Exhibition view, Fonds Leclerc pour la Culture, Landerneau, 2019
Whispering Stone (Agate Litée), 2020 - Painting on wood, resin
Whispering Stone (Agate binocle), 2020 - Painting on wood, resin
Silent Spring - Exhibition view, mor charpentier, Paris, 2020
Silent Spring - Exhibition view, mor charpentier, Paris, 2020
Déjeuner sous l'herbe (Gobelet consigné), 2020 - Marble, white onyx, agate slice, wood
Silent Spring - Exhibition view, mor charpentier, Paris, 2020
Déjeuner sous l'herbe (Total), 2020 - White onyx, serpentine
Silent Spring - Exhibition view, mor charpentier, Paris, 2020
Before it happened, 2020 - Series of sculptures - Exhibition view, mor charpentier, Paris, 2020
Every Stone Should Cry - Exhibition view, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, 2019
Every Stone Should Cry - Exhibition view, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, 2019
Egg Timer, 2019 - Steel, stone, egg shell, wood
Pièce de Compagnie, 2019 - Raw steel, wood
Sculptures pour tremblement de terre, 2019 - Terra Cotta, egg shells
Every Stone Should Cry - Exhibition view, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, 2019
La Colère des Dieux, 2019 - Mixed media installation - Exhibition view, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, 2019
Massacre, 2019 - Wooden masks, showcase - Exhibition view, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubaï, 2019
Sans titre, 2016 - Wooden Masks
Feliz que te fuiste, 2019 - Installation - Exhibition view, XIII La Habana Biennial, 2019
El Muro, 2019 - Wood, paintings - Exhibition view, XIII La Habana Biennial, 2019
Portrait Robot, 2016 - Steel sculptures
Legado Fantasma - Exhibition view, Fundación Marso, Mexico city, 2017
Legado Fantasma - Exhibition view, Fundación Marso, Mexico city, 2017
The thrill is gone - Exhibition View, Musée d’art contemporain, Marseille, 2016
Panorama Obsolescence, 2016 - Installation, steel and marble
Mariachi - Performance view, Casa Maauad, Mexico City, 2015
Mariachi - Performance view, Casa Maauad, Mexico City, 2015
Nowhere Bodies - Exhibition view, The Cabin, Los Angeles, 2015
Encensoirs, 2015 - Ceramic jars, teeth, wooden pedestals
La possession du monde n'est pas ma priorité - Resin aquarium decorations, marble - Exhibition view, 58th Salon de Montrouge, 2013
La possession du monde n'est pas ma priorité, 2013-ongoing - Resin aquarium decorations, marble
La possession du monde n'est pas ma priorité, 2013-ongoing - Resin aquarium decorations
Je ne regrette rien - Exhibition view, Prix Marcel Duchamp, Paris, 2014
Je ne regrette rien, 2014 - Detail of the installation
Flash Back, 2014 - Photographic print
Je ne regrette rien, 2014 - Photographic print
Clay Car, 2013 - Clay, car - Exhibition view, Nantes, 2013
Le Grand Mess - Exhibition View, Lieu Unique, Nantes, 2013
Le Grand Mess - Exhibition View, Lieu Unique, Nantes, 2013
Outremonde - Performance view, Collection Lambert en Avignon, 2021
Big Sisters - Performance view, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2020
Affordable Solution for Better Living - Performance view, Biennale di Venezia Danza, 2019 (Silver Lion)
La Fille du Collectionneur - Performance View, Nanterre-Amandiers, 2017
Radio Vinci Park - Performance view, La Ménagerie de Verre, 2016
Du futur faisons table rase - Performance view, Nanterre-Amandiers, 2014