Gallery openings usually feature the artists’ finished work. At Exit Art Saturday night, the focus was on what goes on in the artists’ studios.

More than 160 artists submitted videos for the nonprofit art center’s latest project, “The Studio Visit,” conceived by Papo Colo and organized by Jeanette Ingberman (Mr. Colo’s partner and Exit Art’s co-founder) and Jodi Hanel.

The idea seems simple enough, but the scope is enormous. At the opening, which drew mostly artists and their friends, one thing was sure: The artists may dress alike, but their studios are unique.

The videos, three to five minutes in length, play in booths scattered throughout Exit Art’s space on 36th Street and Tenth Avenue. Some are also projected on the gallery walls. After the show, they will enter Exit Art’s digital archive.

Seeing oneself at work was illuminating. “I found out I have very strange breathing patterns when I draw,” J.P. Forrest said. “I hold it in until I complete a line. I should take yoga.”

In booth three, John Ahearn captures himself doing a cast of a girl, with lots of young people roving about. Saskia Jorda shows 2.5 minutes of her Chelsea studio, where she draws, and 2.5 minutes of her studio in the Arizona desert, where she works on installations.

Several artists set up studios in the gallery’s windows for the duration of the show. Francis Palazzolo is starting a new series, “Celebratism.” He brought two-dozen brushes, paint, brush cleaner, and a nice pair of shoes. Paul Wirhun, an egg artist, brought a bookcase filled with egg art history books and a candy dish filled with Ukrainian honey suckers.

Morgan Sheasby, of the artists collective the 62, said most of the work for their video was “on the back end – figuring out what to do, what the tone would be. In the end we decided we just wanted to have fun with it.”

The 62, who live and work in a loft by the Navy Yard, show off their kitchen cupboard, computers, and laundry. To make it more interesting, they doctored in some items, such as a box of condoms and a leggy girl in fishnets.

Clearly the 62 isn’t getting too much action.

“The night we went wall-climbing,” Mr. Sheasby said excitedly as he watched their video. On screen were several lanky men repeatedly running toward, then up, a wall.

Pasha Ra, who said his studio in Hell’s Kitchen was once a brothel and a crack house, was new to video before this project. “It’s definitely sparked my interest in using it in my work,” Mr. Ra said. “Video is mesmerizing, powerful. This is a video extravaganza.”

Did he clean up his studio before shooting?

“I cleaned it up, but then it got so messy,” Mr. Ra said.

agordon@nysun.com