“The Ultimate Journey” (2021), mixed media, 25 x 25 x 62 centimeters, 1/35th scale. All images © Simon Laveuve, shared with permission
Tagged with graffiti and pockmarked with decay, the ramshackle structures by Simon Laveuve envision a disquieting safe haven in a post-apocalyptic world. The Paris-based artist (previously) creates miniature shelters on wooden support beams or atop grassy hills that soar high into the air, appearing to offer refuge from below. Constructed as assemblages of worn materials, vintage signs with peeling paint, and a stockpile of everyday objects, the mixed-media sculptures imagine a landscape where only the remnants of life remain. Laveuve writes about his 2021 work “The Island”:
There is the world of yesterday, but today destroyed it to build the world of tomorrow… This is where tomorrow lives, on Resurrection Island. In the heart of the abyss, we find refuges hoisted, like the banner of hope. Perched ever higher, with the secret ambition to reach the dreamy sky, the wandering clouds, and discover freedom.
A few of Laveuve’s vertical environments are included in the upcoming Small Is Beautiful exhibition in London—if you’re able to visit, you’ll also see artists previously featured on Colossal like Vincent Bal and Juho Könkkölä—and he also has a show slated for September in France. Until then, follow Laveuve’s practice on Instagram.
Detail of “The Ultimate Journey” (2021), mixed media, 25 x 25 x 62 centimeters, 1/35th scale
“Tomorrow is far away” (2022), mixed media, 34 x 40 x 50 centimeters, 1/35th scale
“The Island” (2021), mixed media, 35 x 35 x 70 centimeters, 1/35th scale
Detail of “Tomorrow is far away” (2022), mixed media, 34 x 40 x 50 centimeters, 1/35th scale
Detail of “The Island” (2021), mixed media, 35 x 35 x 70 centimeters, 1/35th scale
“Barrier gesture” (2022), mixed media, 25 x 20 x 25 centimeters, 1/35th scale
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Source: Art - thisiscolossal.com
