Paris: The liquid and sprawling universe of the French artist Laure Prouvost, between realism and imagination, apocalyptic and aesthetic visions, is one of the highlights of the 2019 edition of the Biennial of Contemporary Art in Venice, which was open this weekend.
Placed under the theme "May you live in interesting times", this 58th edition of one of the major international events of contemporary art this year gives pride of place to women. The visual adventure proposed by Laure Prouvost, 41, is a journey between installations, videos and performances, all along a journey where water, as in the surrounding lagoon, is omnipresent.
To achieve this, you must first cross a small side door of the French pavilion, whose facade is intact since its creation in 1912. Born in Lille but trained in Britain, the French artist offers a multi-disciplinary work full of imagination under the enigmatic title "See this deep blue melting".
After having climbed the steps that lead to the second floor of the pavilion, the visitor walks through what seems to be a sea that has withdrawn, leaving behind octopuses, remnants of mobile phones, eggshells, bags plastic, dead jellyfish and wandering pigeons alive. A bit like Venice after the acqua alta (the rise of the waters), source of inspiration for the French artist.
Prix ​​Turner in 2013, Laure Prouvost, does not stop there and returns on his journey from Cross in the north of France to Venice, in a film where characters of all ages, ethnic origins or professions are told.
In a third room, two actors dance, wrap themselves in transparent canvases, interact with the audience and with the blue reflections of a glass lamp from Venice. So many spaces that allow him to mix imagination with reality, to play with different languages ​​and characters but also with the public.
"It's a work you have to live in. It's direct, physical," she said in an interview with AFP. "It's a journey in the unconscious, but also physical, which evokes where we come from but also where we go," adds.
Internationally recognised, the artist has already produced major exhibitions in Miami, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Lucerne, Milan, Beijing, New York and Munich. In June, Laure Prouvost is expected in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo, which will host it for an exhibition entitled: "Ring, Sing and Drink for Trespassing".
