Marion Laurent is an artist who has a passion for collecting unique objects. She finds these objects at antique fairs, inherits them from her family, or considers them to be personal relics. Her artistic work is multidisciplinary, incorporating a variety of forms of expression. Through her symbolic language, she raises questions about the meaning of our existence. Her main focus lies in creating miniature universes, cabinets of curiosities formed through accumulation and collection. His work is defined by its freedom and eclecticism. Within these enchanting realms, the objects she discovers are animated and transport us into Laurent’s extraordinary world. The treasures she gathers become the protagonists in her narratives, crafting new stories filled with intrigue and poetic beauty.
With each composition, Laurent leads us on an imaginative journey, where the reliquaries serve as gateways to different dimensions. Her studio is a collection of discarded, damaged, and peculiar objects that she skillfully combines to form enchanting realms inspired by fairytales. Laurent draws her creativity from this exploration of the unknown and unlikely, encouraging us to delve into our own imaginations.
The core of her concerns lies in the biological condition, and she delves into life through her collection of curiosities. Within this enchanting realm, there is a blending of artworks depicting humans, animals, plants, and hybrid creatures. Despite the potential cruelty of reality, Laurent skillfully infuses it with a poetic essence. Her imagination is vast and inspiring, filled with fascinating stories of all kinds. Her unique world is a harmonious merging of fantasy and reality. Laurent’s enchanting world reflects her artistic soul and her passion for the marvelous and the unusual. Her creations celebrate wonder and the beauty found in the old and neglected. They serve as a reminder that even in the most ordinary aspects of everyday life, there exists a poetic potential, a hidden magic waiting to be discovered.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
My creative process is a journey of exploration where I collect objects and materials that inspire me. I immerse myself in a creative game of assemblages and reflections, seeking to find connections between these different elements.
Inspiration springs forth, guided by an idea that draws on external symbolic elements. I immerse myself in these symbols and integrate them into my work, giving a deeper dimension to my creations. Then comes the moment of realisation, when I assemble the different elements in a harmonious way. I particularly appreciate the aesthetics of objects with the patina of time, their history and experience. It’s this aesthetic that guides me as I refine my work.
Storytelling also plays an important role in my work. I like to tell stories through my creations, by accumulating them, collecting them and creating miniatures. I like to spark the viewer’s imagination and invite them to immerse themselves in my world. My work is characterised by freedom and eclecticism. I don’t limit myself to a single style or technique, but explore different possibilities and adapt according to my current inspirations. In short, my creative process is a mixture of exploration, assembly, reflection, storytelling and aesthetic research. It’s a journey in which I give free rein to my creativity and have fun creating unique and emotional objects.
Is narrative important in your work?
Storytelling is at the heart of my artistic work. I firmly believe in its power to captivate and move viewers, which is why I strive to tell stories through my work. I am a multidisciplinary artist, using mediums such as painting, sculpture and assemblage to create visual narratives. I often draw inspiration from tales, symbols and even current events to construct my stories.
When I create a work, I aim to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. Whether it’s admiration, bewilderment or empathy, I want my stories to have an impact. I also like to play with time and space in my narratives. I can tell a story in a single image or in a series that interweave to form a coherent whole. I find it exciting to be able to create different perspectives and give the viewer an immersive experience. But above all, my quest is to go to the very depths of the human being – life and death – to reach the spirit, to question the world through its ancestral myths, to invoke collective memory. I want my work to trigger conversations and encourage viewers to reflect on the world around them.
In conclusion, for me, storytelling is much more than just a component of my artistic work. It is a source of inspiration, a means of expression and a way of provoking critical thought. I will continue to put storytelling at the heart of my artistic practice and tell stories that captivate and engage audiences.
If you could own any work of art, what would it be and why?
If I owned a work of art, it would be a fascinating doll by Mari Shimizu. The doll I would choose would be the one depicting a young woman with an anatomical heart inside her torso. This object is both dark and poetic, captivating the attention of those who contemplate it. The doll’s meticulous details, such as the veins of the heart and the melancholy expression on the woman’s face, testify to the artist’s exceptional talent.
The doll represents an exploration of the human condition, the complexity of emotions and the fragility of our existence. It is thought-provoking, inviting viewers to ponder the mysteries of life, death and everything in between. Owning such a work of art would allow me to immerse myself in a fascinating world and share the experience with others. It would be a masterpiece in my art collection, a rare and precious object that would testify to my passion for artistic expressiveness and the emotional power of art.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
It’s true, when you start art school, you’re often encouraged to explore different forms of artistic expression. We’re encouraged to try out different mediums and techniques, whether painting, drawing, sculpture, design, photography and so on. This allows us to familiarise ourselves with the different possibilities and find what interests us most. When I discovered the work of Louise Bourgeois, it was a revelation. Her art deeply moved me and opened up a new dimension in my understanding of artistic expression. The works of Louise Bourgeois are imbued with raw emotional power and profound introspection.
For the artist Polly Morgan, I am impressed by the way she can transform animals into works of art that provoke reflections on life and death, nature and man. She plays with ideas of fragility, permanence and ephemerality, creating visually striking compositions. As for Muriel Belin, I appreciate her work for its refined aesthetic and its ability to evoke emotions in the viewer. She explores materials and forms that invite the viewer to reflect on the relationship between man and nature, and on the big questions of the human condition.
And for Sabrina Gruss, the use of bones in her artistic work as a means of exploring themes such as the animal condition, the fragility of life and mortality is phenomenal. She seeks to provoke reflection on our relationship with nature and animals, as well as our own ephemeral existence.
What inspires your art?
I immerse myself in the study of living things, such as biology with its different branches such as anthropology, botany and zoology. I’m fascinated by the diversity of life forms and the complexity of interactions between living beings. I attach particular importance to anthropomorphism and ethnography, as I am intrigued by the way in which human beings give human characteristics to animals and plants, and how different cultures and societies perceive and interact with living things.
Tales, legends and myths are also an important source of inspiration for me. I find that these ancient tales often tell symbolic stories about the relationship between humans and living things, and help us to understand our place in the universe. I’m also drawn to the spiritual, to symbols and dreams. I believe that these aspects of our existence enable us to connect on a deeper level with living things, allowing us to explore wider dimensions of reality. During my contemplative phase, I’m inspired by miniature animals, taxidermy and plants. I like to observe these elements of nature very closely, paying particular attention to their details and beauty. These meticulous observations fuel my imagination and enable me to create works that reflect the richness and diversity of living things.
In my artwork, I create dolls that transform, hands that appear and birds that fly away. I seek to capture the wonder and magic that can be found in nature and convey it through my creations. I believe that beauty and innocence can allow us to escape from disenchanted reality and connect with something deeper and more meaningful. The harmony between humans and animals is a central source of inspiration for me. I am inspired by the symbiosis between human beings and other forms of life on this planet, and by the way in which we can cultivate a respectful and balanced relationship with living things. This harmony guides my inspirations and drives me to create works that celebrate the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Do you have any workshop rituals?
I usually start by looking at my creations as a whole, stepping back to visualise them in context. This gives me an overall idea of how my projects are progressing and whether any details need to be adjusted or reworked. Then I concentrate on one sculpture in particular, the one I want to make more progress on. I immerse myself in the details, using different elements and materials to refine the sculpture and refine the idea I have in mind. I can spend hours creating unique visual compositions, trying to bring out the smallest symbolic detail to achieve harmony in the creation out of chaos. During this process, I’m often in a kind of creative trance, where time seems to stand still and I’m totally absorbed in my work. It’s a moment of fusion between the artist and the work in progress, where I feel a great sense of satisfaction with each step forward and where I can sometimes surprise myself with the new ideas that emerge.
However, I also sometimes flit back and forth between my sculptures in progress, especially when I encounter difficulties or blockages in one of them. Sometimes it’s by moving on to something else that I find the solution to a problem or see the work I was stuck on in a different light. I also attach great importance to pauses. I stop regularly to take a step back, get some inspiration and clear my head. This allows me to gain new perspectives and come back with a clearer vision of my work.
At the end of the day, I take the time to admire the progress I’ve made. It’s a moment of satisfaction and pride, but also an opportunity to assess what remains to be done for the next few sessions. I like to mentally visualise the stages to come and project myself into the realisation of my projects. It motivates me and makes me look forward to returning to the workshop the next day. In short, my workshop ritual is a combination of a concentrated, meticulous approach to a specific sculpture, and an open-mindedness that allows me to explore and adapt if necessary. It’s a dance between devotion to each individual creation and steadfastness in the overall progress of my work.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on dioramas, which I use as a form of contemporary artistic expression that explores notions of representation and reality. I’ve adopted this technique to create miniature scenes that tell stories or reflect aspects of reality. I often use reclaimed materials such as toys, objects and miniatures to give a critical dimension to my work.
My dioramas are often used as a means of questioning notions of representation and reality. For example, they appear to be snapshots of everyday life, but are in fact carefully crafted montages. I play with ideas of truth and fiction, while inviting viewers to take a closer look and question their perception. By creating these narrative tableaux and symbolic settings, I invite viewers to reflect and question their view of the world. It’s a way of playing with perceptions and representations of reality, while offering a new way of telling stories through miniature scenes.
Where can we buy your work?
I am in the process of creating an online shop on my website: marion-laurent.com
