Exhibition Walkthrough with Cole Sternberg & Aj Girard

as wordly cares are cast away is a multi-part, multi-disciplinary experience by artist Cole Sternberg that delves into the profound human connection with the sea.

A new body of work that aims to transcend by inviting viewers to contemplate the allure and pull of the ocean. Sternberg masterfully blends various mediums to explore the fundamental question: why are humans irresistibly drawn to the sea?

Through evocative visuals, immersive site-specific Compound LB soundscapes, and thought-provoking installations, “as worldly doubts are cast away” explores the omnipotent powers of our oceans, examining their role as both a source of solace and a mirror to our own existential inquiries across our campus. The artwork prompts introspection, encouraging audiences to find themselves nurtured in the vastness of how the marine world’s scientific and natural presence informs his artistic practice.

Sternberg’s work challenges our perceptions of nature, its limits, and humanity’s place within it, offering a unique perspective on the timeless relationship between land and sea, and the inexplicable longing for what lies beyond the horizon.

About Cole Sternberg

His practice contemplates humanity’s existential quandary: that of being hopelessly destructive, yet forever and inevitably linked with nature. Through varied media (including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, photography, film and writing), Sternberg positions the aspirations of humankind against the dominant and regenerative forces of the environment and the arbitration of time. For the artist, the conclusion is unavoidable. Human enterprises -- art, language, history, law, and republic -- are ephemeral / illusory endeavors that attempt to reflect, parallel, and challenge the ascendency of nature to no avail.

In recent years, Sternberg’s painting practice has centered on the environment acting as the true artist. Some pieces have incorporated poetry, suggesting imprecise narratives or descriptions that can’t be fully apprehended through words. His photographs interrupt time, while historical and cultural myths are pursued and deconstructed in sculptural installations and film. These confrontations frequently materialize in instances of erasure; erasure of marks and words, erasure of history, or the erasure of the natural environment. Sternberg’s works remain subversive in their unremitting search for truth, noting humanity’s attempts to create beautiful permanence while failing admirably.

Sternberg’s works are held by major collections throughout the world, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the American University Museum (AUM), the Museum of New and Old Art (MONA), Villanova University and Deutsche Telekom. It has been featured in many media outlets, such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Whitewall Magazine, Issue Magazine, Autre Magazine, Hercules, Denver Post, Miami New Times, LA Weekly, Art Ltd., Architectural Digest, Sleek, Metal Magazine, ArtNet, Cool Hunting, Santa Barbara Magazine, Carla and Elephant.

Photography Credit:

1) with becoming equanimity, 2025 acrylic, pigment print and watercolor on linen 10 x 14 in. Image courtesy of the artist.

2 & 3) Photo by Yoni Goldberg

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