Céleste Boursier-Mougenot : from here to ear

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot : from here to ear 

8 JUL - 31 AUG 2026

MAAT Gallery

Curator: François Quintin

For his first-ever exhibition in Portugal, French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot presents one of his most iconic works: from here to ear. As a composer, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot arranges sound structures in space like physical scores, naturally bringing his music into the realm of contemporary art. He creates the conditions for a permanent musical composition that is both random and perfectly controlled.

In this piece, visitors are invited to walk through a room filled with some twenty electric guitars played by unusual performers: zebra finches – small birds that perch freely onto the instruments. More than a simple sound installation, the work is above all an invitation to align one’s perception, movements, and behavior with those of these winged performers. Two worlds within a single space are united in the resonances of music that never ceases to unfold.

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has held numerous exhibitions at prestigious institutions worldwide. These include the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2009), the Barbican Centre in London (2010), the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Centre Pompidou-Metz (2015), SFMOMA in San Francisco (2017), and, more recently, the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection in Paris (2025), and the Park Avenue Armory in New York (2026). He represented France at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, curated by Emma Lavigne.

The one hundred zebra finches featured in the installation were bred in Portugal by a specialized breeder. Native to Australia, the zebra finch was selected for its highly social nature and its strong and prompt capacity to adapt to new environments. The group consists of fifty males and fifty females, which will undergo a period of acclimatization to the space and its conditions prior to the exhibition’s opening to the public.

Throughout the exhibition period, the environment of the installation is carefully controlled. The birds’ welfare and hygiene conditions are ensured on a daily basis by a specialized team responsible for feeding, cleaning, and monitoring their health. The presentation fully complies with all legal and regulatory requirements applicable to this type of project, in accordance with the guidelines of the relevant authorities. At the end of the exhibition, the birds will return to their original breeder, ensuring the continuity of appropriate living conditions.