Théo Mercier
PROJECT
A precariously stacked arrangement of stones and eggs, Time to get stone appears to defy gravity. The work is characteristic of Théo Mercier’s practice in that it operates like a carefully staged illusion, blurring the distinction between the natural and the fabricated. By destabilising our preconceived notions of weight and material, Mercier prompts the viewer to question what is real and what is simulated. Are the eggs genuine and the stones artificial, or vice versa? For Mercier, this visual uncertainty mirrors larger systems – from mineral extraction to intensive agriculture – that are made to look solid and reliable but are often unstable.
The acquisition of this artist’s work is supported by Andrew Clark & Dr Sarah Tiffin
ABOUT
Théo Mercier is a French sculptor and stage director. His sculptures tend to rearrange a sense of gravity, from a field of cars erected vertically, as if frozen mid-accident, to sand sculptures and dancers’ bodies perched on ladders. Known for his interest in world-building through anachronistic artifacts, he combines ancestral and pop culture, exploiting intersections between the natural and artificial.
Mercier has held numerous solo exhibitions, most recently at the Villa Medici, Rome (Italy) and MONA, Hobart (Australia). In 2023, he represented the French Pavilion at the Prague Quadrennial (Czech Republic). He was a resident at Villa Medici in 2013, was nominated for the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2014, and won the Silver Lion at the Venice Dance Biennale in 2019.