Bio
BORN 1969 Poissy (near Paris), France – dual French-American citizenship
Lives and works in San Francisco, USA
EDUCATION
1994 MA, International Relations, Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris, France
1993 Full Scholarship, International Relations, Universtiy of Wisconsin, WI, USA
1992 BA, International Relations, Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Aix-en-Provence, France
UPCOMING SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 Smell, Look, Touch! Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery (LTMH), South Hampton, NY
2011 Senses, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery (LTMH), Los Angeles, CA
2011 Living Sculptures, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery (LTMH), New York City, NY
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2010 Be A Flâneur, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery (LTMH), Houston, TX,
2010 Be A Flâneur, Laurent Studio LLC, San Francisco, CA,
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010 East Meets West on the East End, Tripoli Gallery & LTMH Gallery, South Hampton, NY
ART FAIRS
2011 L’Araignée commissioned by LTMH for VIP Internet Art Fair
2011 Lancelot’s Helmet and small bronzes commissioned by LTMH for Art Dubai,
2011 Les Chardons commissioned by LTMH for Abu Dhabi Art Fair
CATALOGS
2010 Houston Exhibition Catalog
2010 San Francisco Exhibition Catalog
VIDEOS
2010 The Houston Show
2010 The fabrication of the spider
2010 Artist Interview
BOOK
2010 Be a Flâneur Book
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Laurent’s Interview on Art Ltd. Magazine
Laurent San Francisco show reviewed by ArtBusiness.com
ARTIST STATEMENT
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My inspiration comes primarily from my childhood where I spent countless hours in my parents’ jewelry workshop, in nature, and eventually helping my dad build our house with our own hands. This eclectic past has enabled me to have access to multiple skill-sets and also plays a strong role in the materials I work with. The ability to mix traditional and non-traditional materials and to create unions between these materials is vital to me. I believe that these formative experiences trained my eyes and my hands in to be “shape searchers”.
During this last year of production, I feel that I have found the bedrock of my work. I developed artwork that deepened my interest in the dialogue between the natural world and the industrial one. It is this dialectic focused on the deconstruction/reconstruction of those 2 worlds in endless shapes that I am passionate about.
Specifically I have found a strong attraction to making what I now call “living sculptures”, an assemblage of various materials – mostly metal, -with living plants. These sculptures stem from my love of nature and architecture and the potential to redesign urban landscapes. I believe that, as a society, the more we “go digital” the more we will need to “go natural”.
Ultimately, through the blending of diverse and sometimes contrasting components, I set out to maintain an element of ‘surprise’ in all of my projects. Coupled with the concept of being a“flâneur” put forth by Beaudelaire to encourage people to ‘take the time, to take the time’ in a Paris that was rapidly changing, I want my artwork and the space it resides in to transport people into different zones. I really look for their participation and encourage their imagination to wander: to become a “modern-day flâneur”.