Satellite Exhibitions:
Metaphysical Maze: Laurent Grasso at Frederic Church’s Olana
Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY
November 22, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Metaphysical Maze: Laurent Grasso at the Thomas Cole Site
Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill, NY
November 22, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Metaphysical Maze: Laurent Grasso at Burlington City Arts
Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT
February 5 – March 28, 2027
Metaphysical Maze will be the largest exhibition to date in the United States devoted to French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso. Installed in the museum’s iconic Building 5, Metaphysical Maze will take the form of an immersive installation bringing together, for the first time, the artist’s most emblematic films, along with a new commission in progress, Cosmic Drive, produced during his research residency at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.
Grasso’s work seeks to decipher structures of power and to make perceptible the often invisible forces that shape our relationship to the world. Initially, focused on systems of surveillance and control, his research has continuously expanded to encompass relations between humans and non-humans, to explore realms beyond the terrestrial. At the intersection of the most advanced scientific theories and ancient or lesser-known systems of belief, his work is less concerned with providing answers than with shifting our perspective and opening new possibilities of representation.
“Entering my exhibition,” says the artist, “is like walking into a forest — an imaginary landscape where you wander without trying to identify every species of tree.”
Conceived as a journey, the exhibition immerses visitors in a contemplative state that expands their perception of time. Paintings, sculptures, neons and architectural interventions will be presented alongside the films, forming an environment in which the different elements function as a whole. In Grasso’s universe, lines are blurred and time appears suspended within a carefully orchestrated installation.
Exhibition Programming
In Conversation: Laurent Grasso and Curator Denise Markonish, Martin Friedman Chief Curator at Madison Square Park
Saturday, November 7
4PM
Purchase Tickets
MASS MoCA will partner with Olana State Historic Site (Hudson, NY) and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site (Catskill, NY) to present satellite programming and exhibitions, as well as the Burlington City Arts (Burlington, VT), which will host a film projection. These presentations extend the exhibition beyond MASS MoCA, opening a dialogue between Grasso’s work and historically significant sites.