CÉLESTE BOURSIER-MOUGENOT
b. 1961, FranceCéleste Boursier-Mougenot is a French artist and composer internationally acclaimed for his immersive installations that transform everyday objects and natural phenomena into living musical environments. In 2015 he represented France at the 56th Venice Biennale, and his large-scale installations have been exhibited at major institutions including the Barbican Centre, London; Centre Pompidou-Metz; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Early Years
Born in Nice in 1961, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot trained as a musician and composer at the Conservatory for Music in Nice. He initially worked for a decade as a composer for contemporary dance and theatre before turning to contemporary art in the 1990s. Boursier-Mougenot lives and works in Sète, France, and his early experiences in music and performance continue to inform his approach to art, sound, and installation.
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot Artworks
Boursier-Mougenot’s contemporary art practice is defined by the creation of autonomous sound installations that merge the visual and auditory, exploring the interplay of chance, movement, and perception. His works invite viewers to become ‘distracted listeners’, attuned to the harmonies and rhythms of the everyday.
From Here to Ear (1999–ongoing)
One of Boursier-Mougenot’s most celebrated works, From Here to Ear, features live finches flying freely in a gallery space, landing on amplified electric guitars and creating an evolving musical composition. First shown in 1999 and presented at venues including the Barbican Centre, London, and Palais de Tokyo, Paris, the installation transforms the gallery into a living soundscape, blurring the boundaries between art, music, and nature.
clinamen (2013–ongoing)
In clinamen, porcelain bowls float and collide gently on the surface of a blue pool, producing resonant, bell-like sounds. The title refers to the unpredictable motion of atoms in Epicurean philosophy, and the work embodies Boursier-Mougenot’s fascination with chance, indeterminacy, and the self-regulating systems of nature. clinamen has been shown at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, and most recently at the Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection, Paris.
rêvolutions (2015)
Created for the French Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale, rêvolutions featured mobile pine trees that moved to follow the light, generating harmonies in response to their environment. The installation combined kinetic sculpture, sound, and living plants, reflecting the artist’s ongoing interest in the relationship between technology, nature, and sensory experience.
Other Seminal Works
Other major works include aura (2015), where cherry pits fall onto a drum kit to create percussive rhythms; acquaalta (2015), an immersive water installation at Palais de Tokyo; and liquide liquide (2018), a series of site-specific sound environments using glass, water, and minerals. Across all his works, Boursier-Mougenot creates spaces for slowness, contemplation, and heightened attention, encouraging visitors to become part of the artwork itself.
Select Public Commissions and Accolades
- clinamen, Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection, Paris (2025)
- Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation Confirmation Prize in Sculpture, Institut de France (2023)
- Permanent installation, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne (2023)
- From Here to Ear, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2010, 2016)
- Marcel Duchamp Prize finalist (2010)
- First French artist selected for the International Studio Program, MoMA PS1, New York (1998–99)
Exhibitions
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions at important institutions. Below is a selection of important exhibitions.
Solo Exhibitions
- clinamen, Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection, Paris (2025)
- off-road, Arter Museum, Istanbul (2019)
- liquide liquide, Fondation François Schneider, Watwiller (2018)
- sonsara, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2017)
- acquaalta, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015)
- From Here to Ear, Barbican Centre, London (2010)
- From Here to Ear, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015)
- clinamen, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2013)
Group Exhibitions
- 56th Venice Biennale, French Pavilion, Venice (2015)
- 21st Century: Art in the First Decade, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2010)
- Monet’s Garden, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2013)
- Soundtracks, SFMOMA, San Francisco (2017)
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot FAQs
Where can I see Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s art?
His installations are held in collections such as the Centre Pompidou, Paris; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. Permanent and recent commissions could be seen at 101 Collins Street, Melbourne, and the Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection, Paris. Follow the artist on Ocula to be updated on upcoming shows.
What is Céleste Boursier-Mougenot best known for?
He is best known for immersive sound installations such as From Here to Ear and clinamen, which use natural and everyday materials to create living musical environments.
What themes does his work explore?
His art explores the relationship between sound, space, and perception, often using chance, movement, and the rhythms of daily life to create new forms of contemporary art and music.
Has Céleste Boursier-Mougenot received major awards?
He has received the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation Prize, was a finalist for the Marcel Duchamp Prize, and was the first French artist selected for the International Studio Program at MoMA PS1. He also represented France at Venice in 2015.
What are some interesting facts about Céleste Boursier-Mougenot?
He began his career as a composer for contemporary dance and theatre, and his installations often invite visitors to become part of the artwork. His name is pronounced ‘say-LEST boor-see-AY moo-zhay-NO’.
Ocula | 2025
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