Starting January 9, 2024
The practice of ceramist Laurent Craste is centered on the conceptual exploration of the multiple layers of meaning of decorative collectible objects, understood both in their sociological and historical dimensions, but also ideological and aesthetic. The porcelain vase, in particular, has been the favorite object of the artist's work for years. Laurent Craste reappropriates this archetypal figure of the decorative arts, and uses it at the same time as a material, as a support, and a playground for his artistic interventions, to explore and create striking formal and conceptual propositions
His works are deployed in various registers: often tragi-comic, sometimes more clearly dramatic, or even, as is the case for his “mischievous vases”, in a more joyful, almost facetious mode. By accentuating their anthropomorphic aspect, Laurent Craste gives these vases the appearance of small, friendly characters courting each other, dancing or even posing at the top of their column. The virtuoso work of porcelain is here put at the service of a classic aesthetic tinged with a mischievous and playful spirit.
About the artist
Laurent Craste is a multidisciplinary artist, internationally renowned for his powerful and spectacular ceramic works that challenge and deconstruct the medium with which he works. Above and beyond the scope of his technique, the artist tackles universal issues such as the struggle of the classes, the environment, social precarity and mental health. Following a training program at the Centre de céramique Bonsecours, he obtained a Master’s in Visual and Media Arts from UQAM in 2007. He has presented his work in Canada, the United States, in Europe and Asia, whether in solo or collective exhibitions. His work has been integrated into important collections, such as that of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Claridge Collection, the Ville de Montréal, Loto-Québec, the Cirque du Soleil and that of the Art Gallery of Burlington.