Tadao Cern (Artist)

02/06/2026

Ten years ago, a woman on a beach used a magazine to hide from my camera. The magazine was Vogue. Days ago, Vogue published the photograph — of her hiding.

A photograph of a woman holding Vogue, now published in Vogue. The image within the image. The frame that contains itself. She raised it as a shield from the sun and my lens, and a decade later that same object delivered the exposure it was raised to prevent.

The institution was there when she tried to hide. The institution returned to make sure she couldn't.

From the series Comfort Zone.

17/10/2025

We live with a constant urge to control, to shape, and to rescue.

Bark is stripped; trees are arranged; living matter is turned into a stage for our gaze.

It reads as care, yet functions as having power over something.

“Nature” appears to be manufactured by social, technological, and economic systems.

The same script governs public life today: governments promise safety while narrowing freedom; institutions curate and limit in the name of access; regulators sort society under the banner of order.

The mark on the bark is the mark of administration—an act that fixes and reduces.

This work names the pattern plainly, so repeat after me: Care... is the method of control.

"Assisted Shedding", 2025

12/03/2025

The Farewell / L'Adieu

An installation for The Season of Lithuania in France 2024 at the Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey

In partnership with:

Thanks to: .faktura .jakub

Images: Marc Domage / Centre des monuments nationaux

29/01/2024

Imagine if we cared about a one-of-a-kind planet same as we cared about a one-of-a-kind drawing, which was not even at any risk. Earth on the other hand is...

We want to lock up people fighting for our only home, but we celebrate the ones who spoil it the most, own private jets and yachts.

If you don't like the form of how the message is being delivered - you are always welcome to show the lead.

19/12/2023

I had this idea about filmmaking... that the camera operator, through the act of filming, is not only capturing the external world but also carelessly documenting their own physical presence and movement within that space. This concept opens a rich area of exploration in both the art of cinema and the study of human interaction with the environment.

In 1990 Jonas Mekas, with his camera in hand, captured an hour-long walk through Manhattan, offering a first-person view of the city as it was back then.

Fast forward 33 years, I went to New York, retraced his exact route, and by filming everything in one take from the same perspectives and angles - I effectively mirrored his every move. It felt like engaging in a “dance” choreographed by Jonas Mekas. We became alone-in-a-crowd Flâneurs, detached from the city and its passersby. Which becomes a commentary on how the extraordinary can be hidden
within the mundane.

Throughout the whole process, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of intimacy — the camera became a medium through which I could experience someone’s vision, curiosity, and even subconscious inclinations. I felt depersonalized and for a moment grew to be someone else. I was someone that already happened before…

Gilles Deleuze argued that repetition is not merely about replicating the same thing. While the setting and the choreography of the camera movements were repeated, the differences in time and personal perspective created a new and distinct piece of work. The physical route through Manhattan remains, but everything around it, including the societal and personal context, has evolved.

The experiment which I called “5 Minutes Late” resulted in two synchronized videos: the left screen displaying my recent footage and the right screen showing Mekas's original film. Side by side, they present a fascinating comparison of the same streets, buildings, and urban scenes, separated by a 33-year time gap which turned into an urban study, where cities are seen as layers of history, each new generation adding to the narrative.

"5 Minutes Late", 2023. Tadao Cern

I had this idea about filmmaking... that the camera operator, through the act of filming, is not only capturing the external world but also carelessly docume...

29/11/2023

I've been pondering around AI for some time. Even before it was as trendy as it is right now - together with Jonas Lekevičius we've created our own AI whose main purpose was to imagine what it would be like to travel around the globe so fast that you could chase a setting sun on the horizon and would witness a never-ending sunset.
(You can still visit a tiny village in Lithuania, near Kaunas, where an LED screen mounted on top of a water tower is live streaming that sunset 24/7)

This project sparked another intriguing idea: what if an LED screen could be placed in front of a scene, offering a creative interpretation of the view it obstructs? I have worked on this concept for a while now and compiled most of the results in one place.

You can check it on Behance or follow my progress on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tadaocern

Art Direction,CGI,Creative Direction,Adobe Photoshop,Adobe Lightroom

22/10/2023

I have won the Oscar!!!

There's a Spanish city called Cordoba. Precisely 1,000 years ago, it was the largest city in the world. They constructed one of the largest mosques outside the Muslim world, which was later transformed into a cathedral. Can you imagine—a mosque and cathedral under one roof? It's one of the most unique, important, and culturally significant buildings you'll ever encounter. This structure perfectly epitomizes the city itself—a place where Jews, Muslims, and Christians once coexisted. Think about this in the context of the event happening today.

If New York is the city of skyscrapers, Paris - the city of love, and Tokyo is the place where you can comfortably find yourself lost, then Cordoba is considered the city of flowers. Consequently, there's an annual floral festival called FLORA. Curators select and invite five artists from around the world to participate. Each artist is paired with a team of professional florists and given a budget to build a flower installation.

This year, I was fortunate to be among the chosen ones, tasked with creating a composition based on the theme of "Floral Intelligence." To sum it up, I chose to work with three main elements. First, I aimed to construct an installation that would reflect Cordoba's rich history. I opted for dark shades, which symbolize the blending of different cultures and religions. The flowers I used—locally grown carnations and chrysanthemums—were arranged in a courtyard pool, typical of Cordoba, primarily for water conservation. To further reduce environmental impact, I employed materials used in previous festival installations.

The pool was dyed black, and as the white flowers absorbed the color from the water, their hue gradually shifted toward black. The concept behind this is based on the collective intelligence exhibited by plants—through interconnected root systems, chemical signaling, and symbiotic relationships. Just as plants communicate and adapt collectively, these flowers represent the harmony and shared values that exist between different cultures and religions.

After four days of continuous work with 16,000 flowers, we faced an unexpected obstacle just hours before the competition's conclusion—a storm with 100 km/h winds and heavy rain. Survival mode was ON and after battling for hours we saved what we had created. Soaking wet and exhausted we met the next day which brought us the biggest reward for our unconditional efforts – first place prize in the festival Flora 2023.

Spain takes immense pride in this event, often dubbed "The Oscars of the Flower World" by the local press. Not my own words so I’m on the safe side to brag:)

I'm grateful to my partner Viktoria and my wingman Augustas, who endured this journey with me, and my professional florist team comprised of Silvia, Fernando, and Raquel. Amidst the week's intensity, we even found time to promote traditional Lithuanian cuisine, preparing Pink Soup for the people of Cordoba together with Michelin-starred chef Kisko Garcia.

Currently, I'm answering interview questions on our way to New York, where a new adventure is about to happen…

15/08/2023

Sanity is fragile.

"Scented Eel", 2023. Clay pots, scented water, electric water pumps, rubber hoses.

04/08/2023

Leaving without proper goodies.

"French Exit" 2020-2023

24/07/2023

The very first time I encountered Dan Graham's work I genuinely thought it was a dedicated smoking area.

Later on he became one of my favourites, making me feel a strong sense of unease every time I would experience his work.

Now he's dead and I quit smoking. Two of the best things are gone.