Locus solus
at Galerie Amélie Maison d’Art, Paris
Discover Locus Solus exhibition, an homage to the universe of gardens, inspired by Raymond Roussel’s novel. Locus Solus tells the story of a visit to an extraordinary park filled with curiosities, conceived and created by the scientist Martial Canterel. This exhibition, co-curated by Johanna Colombatti and gallery owner Amélie du Chalard, runs from September 5th to 11th, 2024 in the gallery located at the heart of Paris, 18 rue Séguier. Locus Solus takes its visitors on a journey through seven captivating stages, bringing together the works of twenty artists. Get ready to dive into these enchanted gardens.
The fantastic universe of gardens
Published in 1913, the novel Locus Solus recounts the visit of a park belonging to the scientist Martial Canterel, filled with curiosities: unexpected monsters, displaced objects, unusual machines. Martial Canterel gives a tour of his sumptuous property Locus Solus to a few of his friends. During a long walk, which could evoke a kind of initiatory journey, the illustrious scientist (a complete figure of the writer, the artist, or more precisely the genius according to Roussel) proposes in seven stages each of the seven wonders of this world that he has conceived, created and confined in his park.
An Art intinerary in seven steps
Entrance: The Canopy - Diana Orving
Upon entering, Diana Orving transports us with her installation The Canopy, a work that evokes a silk cocoon. The sculpture suspended from the ceiling, composed of natural fiber CMO fabric, explores origin, memory, and the subconscious. Diana Orving’s works convey a profound sense of interconnectedness, emphasizing that one is not an isolated entity but rather a small part of a larger system.
The majestic Canopy is surrounded by ceramic creations by Victor Levai, all inspired by nature, objects, notably tables and mirrors, oscillating between science and magic. On the other hand, Bonnie Collin scatters decorative oil paintings on the walls, influenced by her background as a textile designer. Finally, Max Bainbridge, respecting the natural form of wood, carves works in the raw material that come back to life.
Reception Hall: The Banquet - Full Grown
The first reception room, like a garden of delights, unveils a dreamlike banquet where the major works are the tree chairs conceived by Full Grown, botanical artists. They employ ancient techniques to grow their tree chairs, manipulating the directions of growth of a branch with the aid of personalized frames and grafting new forms of furniture into the living tree. This integrates the artistic and the romantic in the scientific and incites us to reconsider the manner in which we produce. In the equatorial artist Krystel Liliana Cárdenas’ work, we find glasses made of wax reflecting memory, exploring the duality between what remains intact and what is destined to be transformed.
The cutlery and table art in white ceramic are imagined by two artists, Conie Vallese and Olga. Virginie Boudsocq shows us the moment when, from a leaf, exuberant flowers emerge that cover everything. She composes bouquets of porcelain flowers, which sometimes crack and detach, like an imperfect nature. Marion Benoit exhibit ceramic pieces, notably inspired by stories and Nature. The accrochage of large embroidered panels by Michele Landel, inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf and domestic life, frames the scenography.
Inspired by biophilic design (the reintegration of nature in the living spaces by the bias of the architecture and the interior decoration), the London designer Shannon Clegg creates poetic botanical sculptures entirely composed of fresh flowers. The artist has developed a unique technique of hand molding to shape and press in three dimensions of true vegetal matters, which gave birth to her floral sculptures in the form of a vase.
Second Room: The Entrelacs and the Cabin
The Entrelacs - Vincent Laval
Vincent Laval presents sculptures in wood and other natural materials, inspired by forest territories, and the writings of great explorers of nature. Fascinated by the forest and the equilibrium that operates between the different elements, the artist attaches to extract matters, forms and sensations. Nourished by the writings of the botanist Francis Hallé, the paintings of the German romanticism or the writings of the great explorers passionate by the deep nature, like John Muir, the artist aims to spin a thread between the world of the savage and that which we have created.
The Cabin - Agnès Dosmas invites the visitor to enter the cabin constructed of elements destined for impermanence. Her work with peelings, and therefore with living things, is an approach that the artist developed over 2 years ago. It's a delicate, humble and poetic approach that reflects on the notion of time and the ephemeral. The hut is in keeping with this idea, embodying it on an architectural scale. The hut has a flat roof, giving it a cubic volume that echoes the small cubes of peelings moulded onto cardboard boxes, and correlates with the ‘Rencontre Domestique’ series.
In the Garden: Three Open-Air Scenes
The Garden Lounge - Xavier Dumont presents a bench, a side table, and a candelabrum inspired by the 18th-century imagination, offering pieces oscillating between chance and intuition, in search of reverie and exoticism.
The Fountain - Constructed by six ceramists, Rémi Bracquemond (at the head of Volume Ceramics), Victor Alarçon and Nitsa Meletopoulos, the Fountain reveals itself as a contemplative space, carried by the rich ornamental nature of the piece, and meditative thanks to the musicality that the water produces when it flows. Realized in glazed ceramic and distinguished by its poetic scenography, it's perfectly integrated harmoniously in the natural environment.
The Staircase of Time - Nadine de Garam imagines a staircase as a passage towards the infinite. Sometimes a branch sprouts, the ultimate hope of a possible life. Materials are chosen and worked with care. The earth and the bronze bear the imprint of the gesture, like the memory of what has been.
Galerie Amélie Maison d'Art, 18 rue Séguier, 75006 Paris
From Thursday 5 to Wednesday 11 September 2024, 10h - 19h
Open day Saturday 7 September
Galerie Amélie Maison d'Art @ameliemaisondart
Johanna Colombatti @johannacolombatti
Diana Orving @dianaorving
Victor Levai @victorlevai
Virginie Boudsocq @olga.etc
Max Bainbridge @forestandfound
Bonnie Colin @bonnie_colin
Full Grown @fullgrownfutureuk
Krystel Liliana Cárdenas @krysteliliana
Conie Vallese @conievallese
Marion Benoit @maisonmerveille
Marta Cypel @martacypel
Michele Landel @michelelandel
Vincent Laval @vincent_laval
Joan Salo @joan_salo
Shannon Clegg @shannon___clegg courtesy of @galeriegosserez
Xavier Dumont @xavierdumontsculpture
Agnès Dosmas @agnesd.krier
Rémi Bracquemond @remibrac
Victor Alarçon @vickyceramic
Nitsa Meletopoulos @nitsameletopoulos
Nadine de Garam @nad_de_garam
Artiste florale @lokzng