LAURENT GRASSO

Early Life and Education

Laurent Grasso was born in Mulhouse, France, in 1972. He lives and works between Paris and New York. Grasso trained at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, The Cooper Union in New York, Central Saint Martins in London, and Le Fresnoy, Tourcoing. Residencies at Villa Medici (Rome) and the International Studio & Curatorial Program (New York) have deeply influenced his transdisciplinary approach.

Laurent Grasso Artworks

Laurent Grasso’s practice explores the edges of perception and power, creating environments and visual narratives that draw on scientific phenomena, astronomy, and collective memory. His evolving approach employs film, painting, neon, public commissions, and installation, prompting viewers to navigate the uncertain spaces between fact and imagination.

Seminal Artworks and Developments

• Studies into the Past (2009–ongoing): A time-travel painting series fusing Renaissance techniques with futuristic motifs, blurring historical boundaries.
• SolarWind (2016): A permanent public light installation on Paris’s ring road, translating scientific data into a visual experience.
• Élysée (2015–2016): A film project staged in the Salon Doré, the French president’s private office, meditating on aesthetics of power.
• Soleil Double (2014): Large-scale video installation with twin suns above Rome, probing ideas of temporality and representation.
• Metaphysical Maze (2025): An immersive exhibition at MASS MoCA, manipulating visitor perception of time and space.
• Visibility is a Trap (2012/2019): Neon installation exploring surveillance and societal visibility.

Select Public Commissions by Laurent Grasso

• Roots of the Future, group of sculptures, Paris Olympic Village (2024)
• SolarWind, permanent light installation, Paris (2016)
• Ceiling Installation, Châtillon-Montrouge Metro Station, Grand Paris project
• Geodesic Sphere, Optic Center, Talence, France (2013)
• Du Soleil dans la Nuit, Nuit Blanche, La Samaritaine, Paris (2012)
• Nomiya, micro-architecture on the roof of Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2009–2011)

Select Awards and Accolades

• Marcel Duchamp Prize, France
• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France
• Meru Art*Science Award, Italy
• Villa Medici Residency, Rome
• Villa Medici Residency, Rome
• International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) Residency, New York

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Laurent Grasso Exhibitions

Laurent Grasso has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions at major institutions internationally. See below for a selection. To discover upcoming exhibitions, follow Laurent Grasso on Ocula.

Select Solo Exhibitions

• Metaphysical Maze, MASS MoCA, USA (2025)
• Clouds Theory, Abbaye of Jumièges, France (2024)
• Time Leaves, TAO ART, Taipei, Taiwan (2023)
• Élysée, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong (2016)
• Uraniborg, Jeu de Paume, Paris (2012)
• Musée Zadkine, Paris (2020)
• Musée d’Orsay, Paris (2021)
• Bass Museum of Art, Miami

Select Group Exhibitions

• Copistes, Centre Pompidou Metz, France (2025)
• Plein Soleil, Bonifacio, France (2025)
• Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2018)
• EVA International, Ireland (2018)
• Gwangju Biennale, South Korea (2012)
• Manifesta 8, Spain (2010)
• Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2009)

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Website and Instagram

Laurent Grasso’s website can be found here, and Instagram here.

More Reading

Laurent Grasso’s practice has been profiled in Ocula Magazine. You can read about Laurent Grasso on Ocula here.

Laurent Grasso FAQs

Ocula | 2025