In Venice, at the Berengo Foundation, Tony Cragg investigates the qualities of matter

The Berengo Foundation, in the spaces of Ca’ Tron in Venice, will present from May 5 to November 22, 2026 the exhibition Ocean of Drops, where the protagonist will be Tony Cragg (Liverpool, 1949), among the main protagonists of contemporary sculpture at the international level. The exhibition is part of the program of the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

The exhibition project revolves around a large glass sculpture made in Murano, which gives the title to the entire exhibition and is its conceptual centerpiece. A selection of recent large-scale works is developed around this work, offering a concentrated look at the most recent directions of the Anglo-German artist’s research.

Ocean of Drops thus presents itself as a space of tension between matter and perception. The glass sculpture, the central element of the installation, recalls the profound nature of materials and invites reflection on their internal structure and the processes that determine their form and appearance. Rather than imitating reality, the work seems to generate new configurations, highlighting the continuous transformation of matter, which eludes stable definitions.

Alongside this dominant presence, the path also includes wood and stone sculptures, through which Cragg explores the physical and dynamic properties of matter. The forms recall fundamental structures such as atoms, molecules and cells, making perceptible what normally remains invisible and interrogating the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic scales, between internal structure and surface.

Taken as a whole, the project is part of a broader reflection on the relationship between the interior and exterior of matter. Cragg’s works question the mechanisms of perception, highlighting the limits of sensory experience and the role of cognitive structures in the construction of reality. In this sense, Ocean of Drops aims to invite questions not only about what we see, but also about how we perceive it.

Active since the 1970s, Tony Cragg has exhibited in museums and institutions around the world, establishing himself as one of the most influential figures in contemporary sculpture. The Venetian exhibition provides an important opportunity to engage with a research that continues to redefine the relationship between form, material and knowledge.

In Venice, at the Berengo Foundation, Tony Cragg investigates the qualities of matter

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