↑ CAMILLE HENROT, A NUMBER OF THINGS, A NUMBER OF THINGS, 2025

Hauser & Wirth, New York | 30 January – 12 April 2025

Hauser & Wirth’s 22nd Street gallery in New York City presents A Number of Things, a major solo exhibition by Camille Henrot. This marks her first large-scale showcase with the gallery, featuring a dynamic mix of bronze sculptures and paintings.

Exploring Play, Order, and Social Constructs

The exhibition introduces Henrot’s new sculptural series, Abacus, inspired by childhood learning tools, footwear, and ancient counting devices. These large-scale bronzes evoke distorted graphs and playfully explore the contrast between imagination and structured societal norms. Smaller works, such as Tomber Pour Toujours and Misfits, continue this dialogue between play and control.

Accompanying the sculptures are vibrant new paintings from Henrot’s Dos and Don’ts series, which blend printmaking, painting, and collage. Initiated in 2021, these works reimagine etiquette books, using them as a foundation for layered explorations of rules, gestures, and artistic intervention. The paintings are set against a custom-designed flooring installation by Charlap Hyman & Herrero, transforming the gallery space into an immersive experience.

The Abacus Sculptures: Between Play and Calculation

Henrot’s Abacus sculptures merge the aesthetic of ancient counting tools with the fluidity of children’s bead mazes. Their biomorphic shapes and opaline surfaces create a presence that oscillates between abstraction and figurative references, encouraging both sensory engagement and conceptual reflection. By blurring the boundaries between logic and instinct, these works challenge our perception of imposed systems and natural behaviors.

Behavioral Conditioning in Dos and Don’ts

The Dos and Don’ts series takes a deep dive into social norms, exploring codes of conduct, laws, and the tension between authority and individual freedom. These paintings incorporate found elements—such as language notes, dental X-rays, invoices, and to-do lists—reflecting Henrot’s ongoing interest in categorization and knowledge systems. As seen in her acclaimed 2013 film Grosse Fatigue, Henrot questions how societies impose order and how individuals navigate those constraints.

About Camille Henrot

Born in Paris in 1978, Camille Henrot works between Berlin and New York City. Her multidisciplinary practice spans film, painting, drawing, bronze sculpture, and immersive installations, drawing inspiration from literature, psychoanalysis, anthropology, and digital culture. She has received prestigious awards, including the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013), the Nam June Paik Award (2014), and the Edvard Munch Award (2015). Her work has been exhibited at major institutions worldwide, including the New Museum in New York, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery.

All images associated with A Number of Things are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission. The rights to Camille Henrot’s works, including photographs, remain with the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

For more details, visit the official exhibition page: Hauser & Wirth – Camille Henrot