Immerse Yourself in the Curious and Mesmerizing Art of Tadao Cern

‘I am nobody’ reveals his artistic identity and inspirations

Artist:
Tadao Cern
Photography:
Tadao Cern
Words:
Caroline Meeusen

Combining his architectural studies with contemporary art, Tadao Cern has a very original approach to the art world. The artist was born in Lithuania as Tadas Černiauskas which he simplified to Tadao Cern and now lives and works under in Vilnius. After having worked as an architect for a time he started to experiment with photography, creating series like Blow Job and Comfort Zone which catapulted him into the international design world, various exhibitions, and global recognition. Since then, Tadao Cern has worked with brands such as Mentos, Chupa Chups, and Samsung. Merging architecture, photography, and art, he now creates the most interesting and profound projects and art pieces. With several renowned series and projects, his Black Balloons may be one of the most famous ones. Creating ever curious artworks that show ordinary objects in a fascinating and unusual way, he manages to intrigue the beholder. His works are almost as mysterious as the artist who refers to himself as ‘I am nobody’. We talked with Tadao Cern about his artistic identity and approach.

VISUAL PLEASURE Magazine: Have you always expressed yourself through art?

Tadao Cern: I wouldn’t be so romantic and self-centered to say so, because I don’t believe in self-expression, but I have to admit that I have always been very close to these disciplines.

How would you describe your ‘art approach’ and works/style?
I do not believe in muses and the creative process, for me it is more like a workout: the artistic outcome is a consequence of the amount of the effort that artists put in. Consciously or not.

How do you combine art and architecture in your work?
In a way it is almost the same. Strip off the function from the architecture and you will be left with a pure art form.

What do you wish to express with your art?
We are not perfect. We are far away from that. Art as anything else, it is one of the ways to change ourselves for the better.

Can you elaborate a bit on why you see art works as experiments?
You are never sure about anything and creating art is like playing the lottery. Every ticket is like a blind experiment. The more tickets, the more chances of winning. And only after a win you know what combination was lucky.

Your works are visually very strong, yet sober and simple most of the time. How do you manage to convey your message with little objects?
Thank you! Doing something very simple is very complicated. I take it as a challenge to express ideas in the cleanest possible way. I’m far away from being good at it, but I am not in a hurry to reach the finish line.

You seem to use a lot of everyday objects, why is that?
There’s no such thing as a good or a bad tool in expressing an idea. The only thing that matters is an idea itself. So why waste too much time on searching for something that is meaningless and will wear out eventually anyway.

Why do you like to work with balloons for example and when or how did you start using them, what initiated it?
I like them because they are very temporary. Each composition is like a bouquet of flowers: once installed, they are at their peak and start withering. In a couple of days, the installation will look different and in couple of weeks (if not maintained), it will leave only a recollection of it behind, which is the most important and valuable thing for me.

Why do you refer to yourself as ‘Nobody’?
It is a constant struggle to distance myself from my own ego. I don’t want to take any personal credit for anything that I do. Name and personality are nothing more but a coordinate system for the ones who want to catalog everything. I’m an advocate for collective things (experiences, memories, thoughts, etc.) and my work is very strongly influenced by a will to fight today’s social flaw to celebrate someone’s individuality.