Lithuania
Tadao Cern:
COMFORT ZONE
On European beaches, sunbathers in swimsuits or half-naked bodies occupy communal public spaces while retreating into deeply personal moments of leisure. Some nap alongside family or friends, while others shield their faces or entire bodies from the glaring sun. These varied scenes, across generations, appear serene yet tinged with a subtle humor.
This work reveals paradoxical ideas such as “public and private,” “vulnerability and unawareness,” “relaxed and displayed,” shown within the same moment. More than a mere record of bodies, it demonstrates—through considerate framing and camera work—how both the camera and the viewer are inevitably positioned in roles that verge on voyeurism.
On European beaches, sunbathers in swimsuits or half-naked bodies occupy communal public spaces while retreating into deeply personal moments of leisure. Some nap alongside family or friends, while others shield their faces or entire bodies from the glaring sun. These varied scenes, across generations, appear serene yet tinged with a subtle humor.
This work reveals paradoxical ideas such as “public and private,” “vulnerability and unawareness,” “relaxed and displayed,” shown within the same moment. More than a mere record of bodies, it demonstrates—through considerate framing and camera work—how both the camera and the viewer are inevitably positioned in roles that verge on voyeurism.
On European beaches, sunbathers in swimsuits or half-naked bodies occupy communal public spaces while retreating into deeply personal moments of leisure. Some nap alongside family or friends, while others shield their faces or entire bodies from the glaring sun. These varied scenes, across generations, appear serene yet tinged with a subtle humor.
This work reveals paradoxical ideas such as “public and private,” “vulnerability and unawareness,” “relaxed and displayed,” shown within the same moment. More than a mere record of bodies, it demonstrates—through considerate framing and camera work—how both the camera and the viewer are inevitably positioned in roles that verge on voyeurism.
Tadao Cern is a Lithuanian-born artist whose practice moves fluidly between photography, installation, and sculpture. Originally trained as an architect, he turned away from conventional design to explore a broader spectrum of creative fields. This openness to experimentation remains central to his work: each project becomes a way to test how different materials, spaces, and social rituals can be reimagined.
His photo documentary series Comfort Zone has become one of his most recognized projects. Shot on European beaches, it captures people resting in the sun with a disarming directness. These images transform a familiar act of leisure into a study of vulnerability, exposure, and the fragile balance between private retreat and public presence. In Tokyo, the series resonates with questions of social order, collective behavior, and the silent negotiations that shape how bodies inhabit shared space.
Cern’s wider practice often addresses the tension between order and fragility. In Bed and Breakfast, he filled architectural spaces with clusters of hovering balloons, creating environments that felt both weightless and uncanny. French Exit staged a different kind of social experiment, inviting visitors to reflect on presence and absence through the act of vanishing. Across these projects, Cern reveals an enduring interest in systems—how they hold together, how they collapse, and how we navigate them as individuals.
Through a practice that bridges architecture, art, and social observation, Cern offers works that are visually immediate yet conceptually layered, inviting audiences to reconsider the rituals and structures that quietly shape everyday life.
His projects have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Le Monde, BILD, ELLE and other well known publications. The viral success of these projects led to exhibitions across the world including Vang Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and Saatchi Gallery, London. Cern has won numerous photo awards, which led him to opportunities to create campaigns for many high end brands such as Samsung, New Yorker, BMW, Chupa Chups.
Tadao Cern is a Lithuanian-born artist whose practice moves fluidly between photography, installation, and sculpture. Originally trained as an architect, he turned away from conventional design to explore a broader spectrum of creative fields. This openness to experimentation remains central to his work: each project becomes a way to test how different materials, spaces, and social rituals can be reimagined.
His photo documentary series Comfort Zone has become one of his most recognized projects. Shot on European beaches, it captures people resting in the sun with a disarming directness. These images transform a familiar act of leisure into a study of vulnerability, exposure, and the fragile balance between private retreat and public presence. In Tokyo, the series resonates with questions of social order, collective behavior, and the silent negotiations that shape how bodies inhabit shared space.
Cern’s wider practice often addresses the tension between order and fragility. In Bed and Breakfast, he filled architectural spaces with clusters of hovering balloons, creating environments that felt both weightless and uncanny. French Exit staged a different kind of social experiment, inviting visitors to reflect on presence and absence through the act of vanishing. Across these projects, Cern reveals an enduring interest in systems—how they hold together, how they collapse, and how we navigate them as individuals.
Through a practice that bridges architecture, art, and social observation, Cern offers works that are visually immediate yet conceptually layered, inviting audiences to reconsider the rituals and structures that quietly shape everyday life.
His projects have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Le Monde, BILD, ELLE and other well known publications. The viral success of these projects led to exhibitions across the world including Vang Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and Saatchi Gallery, London. Cern has won numerous photo awards, which led him to opportunities to create campaigns for many high end brands such as Samsung, New Yorker, BMW, Chupa Chups.
Tadao Cern is a Lithuanian-born artist whose practice moves fluidly between photography, installation, and sculpture. Originally trained as an architect, he turned away from conventional design to explore a broader spectrum of creative fields. This openness to experimentation remains central to his work: each project becomes a way to test how different materials, spaces, and social rituals can be reimagined.
His photo documentary series Comfort Zone has become one of his most recognized projects. Shot on European beaches, it captures people resting in the sun with a disarming directness. These images transform a familiar act of leisure into a study of vulnerability, exposure, and the fragile balance between private retreat and public presence. In Tokyo, the series resonates with questions of social order, collective behavior, and the silent negotiations that shape how bodies inhabit shared space.
Cern’s wider practice often addresses the tension between order and fragility. In Bed and Breakfast, he filled architectural spaces with clusters of hovering balloons, creating environments that felt both weightless and uncanny. French Exit staged a different kind of social experiment, inviting visitors to reflect on presence and absence through the act of vanishing. Across these projects, Cern reveals an enduring interest in systems—how they hold together, how they collapse, and how we navigate them as individuals.
Through a practice that bridges architecture, art, and social observation, Cern offers works that are visually immediate yet conceptually layered, inviting audiences to reconsider the rituals and structures that quietly shape everyday life.
His projects have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Le Monde, BILD, ELLE and other well known publications. The viral success of these projects led to exhibitions across the world including Vang Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and Saatchi Gallery, London. Cern has won numerous photo awards, which led him to opportunities to create campaigns for many high end brands such as Samsung, New Yorker, BMW, Chupa Chups.
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union
seeeu@koi.lt
Europe Photo Month Tokyo
Oct 23 - Nov 23 2025
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union