British sculptor Thomas Houseago (b. 1972 )with French artist Théo Mercier (b. 1984) have been selected for the Reiffers Initiatives 2026 artist mentorship program. The two artists will participate in a six-month exchange that will culminate in a solo exhibition by Mercier during Art Basel Paris in October.
Founded in 2021 by French entrepreneur and collector Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers, Reiffers Initiatives supports emerging contemporary artists through an annual mentorship model that connects established figures from the international art world with rising artists in France. Each year, the selected mentor chooses the artist they’d like to work with from a shortlist proposed by the initiative’s artistic committee. Each mentorship collaboration culminates with a presentation during Art Basel Paris.
“Since its creation in 2021, Reiffers Initiatives has made it its mission to support emerging talent in the French contemporary art scene,’ said Reiffers in a statement. “Our mentorship program plays a key role in this by enabling a French artist to benefit from the experience and guidance of an international figure and to develop their practice, while deepening their understanding of an art world that is more globalized that ever.”
Houseago, who lives and works in Los Angeles, is known for monumental figurative sculptures that combine unexpected materials like rebar and hemp with carved wood, clay, plaster, and bronze, with expressive mark-making Over the past decade, he has become one of the most prominent sculptors working international, with major exhibitions at institutions including the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Centre Pompidou-Metz, and TANK Shanghai.
Mercier is a sculptor and stage director whose works draw from anthropology, archaeology, tourism, and geopolitics. The artist often mixes historical references with theatrical installations and unexpected material juxtapositions. Since his residency at Rome’s Villa Medici in 2013, he has emerged as one of France’s most acclaimed contemporary artists, receiving a Silver Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale for Dance and exhibiting at institutions including Mona in Tasmania, Collection Lambert in Avignon, and the Conciergerie in Paris.
The Reiffers Initiatives aims to foster intergenerational exchange, offering both artists support at different stages of their careers. The mentorship program has previously paired Rashid Johnson with Kenny Dunkan, Kehinde Wiley with Alexandre Diop, Lorna Simpson withGaël Choisne, Ugo Rondinone with Tarek Lakhrissi, and Daniel Buren with Miles Greenberg.
Lunch, Before It Happened (6 Stones), 2020
Théo Mercier
LAMB
The initiative’s artistic committee includes figures from contemporary art, culture, and media, among them Pinault Collection curator Caroline Bourgeois, Fondation Cartier director Chris Dercon, curator and writer Simon Njami, Fondation Zinsou founder Marie-Cécile Zinsou, and L.A. Dance Project founder Benjamin Millepied.
