Studio Lemercier: One-Day Pop-up at Heft!

Wednesday, Apr 15

6:30pm

ETGMT

Hosted by

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56/150 spots left

The exhibition, The Ocean Exceeds All Memory, emerges from the artist’s March 2026 crossing of the Atlantic Ocean aboard a sailing vessel – traveling from France to New York without flying. First conceived in 2024 as a response to the environmental impact of air travel, the journey became an opportunity to produce new work within the conditions of the open ocean itself. The voyage was approached as a suspension – a parenthesis in time – and an encounter with the Sublime. Over two weeks, perception slowed into sustained observation. The resulting works are shaped by a sense of smallness in the face of vastness – a confrontation with immensity and elemental forces, thousands of kilometers from any sign of human presence. Presented as pen plots and animated videos, the works translate fifteen days at sea into form. Without landmarks or human reference points, the works respond to the visceral experience of wind, swelling waves, and shifting light. At sea, the crew insisted on direct observation – that reality must first be sensed, and not mediated by technology. The data from onboard sensors was never enough. In this way, the exhibition reflects on a growing tendency to read the world through technology rather than experience it directly. Thus, the works return us to perception itself. If even the most advanced computation cannot fully account for the intricacy of a single drop of ocean water, what remains is the irreducible value of intuition. In "The Ocean Exceeds All Memory," a series of new plotter drawings transcribes moments observing the ocean into thousands of ink drops. Video works trace the continuous movement of waves – a complexity that resists full simulation. An additional group of drawings studies the forces of wind as they shape the water’s surface. Together, these works form a record of attention, produced within the conditions they seek to understand. The presentation unfolds over one evening, followed by a day of private viewing. It includes additional documentation, a live plotter performance, and hosted by Studio Lemercier’s Joanie Lemercier and Juliette Bibasse, along with the gallery's Adam Heft Berninger. — Heft is honored to present this pop-up exhibition on April 15, with viewing continuing April 16, as an interstitial moment between exhibitions. Nancy Burson’s Light Matter opens April 17. Join us from 6–9pm at 300 Broome Street. Drinks will be served.

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