Laure Prouvost , Oslo National Museum

Out of the tunnel’s darkness, we enter a barren rocky landscape blanketed in fog. We find ourselves in a place above the clouds. where birds soar. A melted ceiling offers a glimpse into the unknown. Global warming has left its mark, but hope can be found in consideration and love of nature and people.

Laure Prouvost is known for her captivating installations with film, sound, performance, sculpture, textile and text that trigger the senses. In her work, the line between fiction and reality is erased. She incorporates characteristics of Dadaism and Surrealism, allowing for lawlessness and the irrational. Prouvost’s art also makes reference to art-historical and religious motifs, such as the fountains of antiquity, archetypal grottos, birds and fish.

Laure Prouvost has taken full advantage of the mighty size of the Light Hall and created a world of contrasts. She appeals to our senses and emotions with gravity, light and colour, and toys with our sense of direction. Pulsating light, sparkling imaginative glass sculptures and fountains bring light, colour and life to a threatened world.

Sculptures weightlessly float in the space, making us feel like we have entered another dimension. In one area, the floor rises, while in another, it lowers us into a soft surface. In Prouvost’s monumental video works, we encounter the recurring figure of Grand Ma, who launches herself into grand flight.
The exhibition takes nature, environmental challenges and the pandemic seriously, but communicates with warmth and absurd humour.

2022
NMO, Oslo, NOR

Artist: Laure Prouvost

Studio Prouvost headed by Maud Gyssels

Exhibition Architecture by Diogo Passarinho Studio
Team: Diogo Passarinho and Gonçalo Reynolds

Production company: Arter
Lighting design: Light Bureau