Laure Prouvost
Language – in its broadest sense – permeates the video, sound, installation and performance work of Laure Prouvost. Known for her immersive and mixed-media installations that combine film and installation in humorous and idiosyncratic ways, Prouvost’s work addresses miscommunication and ideas becoming lost in translation. Playing with language as a tool for the imagination, Prouvost is interested in confounding linear narratives and expected associations among words, images and meaning. She combines existing and imagined personal memories with artistic and literary references to create complex film installations that muddy the distinction between fiction and reality. At once seductive and jarring, her approach to filmmaking employs layered storytelling, quick edits, montage and wordplay and is composed of a rich, tactile assortment of images, sounds, spoken and written phrases. The videos are often shown within immersive environments which comprise found objects, sculptures, painting and drawings, signs, furniture and architectural assemblages, that are rendered complicit within the overarching narrative of the installation.
Laure Prouvost was born in Lille, France (1978) and is currently based in Brussels. She received her BFA from Central St Martins, London in 2002 and studied towards her MFA at Goldsmiths College, London. She also took part in the LUX Associate Programme. Prouvost won the MaxMara Art Prize for Women in 2011 and was the recipient of the Turner Prize in 2013.
Recent solo exhibitions include: 'Oui Move in You', ACCA Melbourne, Australia (2024); 'In the Mist of it All, Above Front Tears', De Pont Museum, Tilburg, Netherlands (2024); 'Above Front Tears Nest in South', Moody Center for the Arts, Houston, USA (2023); 'Oma-je', Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada (2023); ‘Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama’, Kunsthalle Wien, Wien, Austria (2023); ‘Above Front Tears Oui Float’ at the Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway (2022); ‘Laure Prouvost: Theatergarden and A Be(a)stiary of the Anthropocene’, Longlati Foundation, Shanghai, China (2022); ‘Deep Travel Ink’, Atelier Hermès, Seoul, South Korea (2022); ‘The Long Waited, Weighted, Gathering’, Manchester Jewish Museum, Manchester, UK; ‘Our elastic arm hold in tight through the claouds’ at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark (2021); ‘Re-dit-en-un-in-learning CENTER’ at Lisson Gallery London (2020); ‘Melting into one another ho hot chaud it heating dip’, Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon, Portugal (2020); ‘Deep See Blue Surrounding You / Vois Ce Bleu Profond Te Fondre’, Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France, LAM - Lille métropole, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France (2020), and Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands (2021); ‘AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON’, M HKA - Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Belgium (2019); Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2018); BASS Museum, Miami, FL, USA (2018); ‘They Are Waiting for You’, Performance for stage at the McGuire Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, USA (2018); SALT Galata, Istanbul, Turkey (2017); Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland (2016); Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italy (2016); Museum Für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt Am Main, Frankfurt, Germany (2016); Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing, China (2016); Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2015); New Museum, New York, NY, USA (2014); Laboratorio Arte Alameda, Mexico City, Mexico (2014); Max Mara Art Prize for Women, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK and Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy (2013); ‘Laure Prouvost / Adam Chodzko’ as part of ‘Schwitters in Britain’, Tate Britain, London, UK (2013); The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, UK (2012); and Flat Time House, London, UK. Prouvost represented France at the 58th International Art Biennial Venice, May-November 2019 and was included in ‘NIRIN,’ the 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020). June 2019 saw the artist’s first public commission in the UK through Transport for London’s Art on the Underground.
Recent, current and forthcoming projects
'Laure Prouvost: Oui Move in You'. ACCA Melbourne (23 March – 10 June 2024)
'IN THE MIST OF IT ALL, ABOVE FRONT TEARS', De Pont Museum, Tilburg ( 24 Feb - 18 Aug 2024)
'Above Front Tears Nest in South', Moody Center for the Arts (15 Sep - 14 Dec 2023)
'Oma-je', Remai Modern (30 June 2023 – 28 Jan 2024)
'Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama', Kunsthalle Wien (11 May - 1 Oct 2023)
'Above Front Tears Oui Float', National Museum, Oslo, Norway (5 Nov 2022 - 12 Feb 2023)
Laure Prouvost
We Will Keep Cool (Las Pozas), 2024
Tapestry
210 x 254 cm
82 5/8 x 100 in
Laure Prouvost
The Octopus Body – Come With Me, 2024
Oil on linen
70 x 90 cm
27 1/2 x 35 3/8 in
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Laure Prouvost
The Octopus Body - Pulled Towards You, 2024
Oil on linen
135 x 155 cm
53 1/8 x 61 in
Laure Prouvost
The Octopus Body - There Her, 2024
Oil on linen
90 x 70 cm
35 3/8 x 27 1/2 in
Laure Prouvost
Landed Here To Sea You With All Our Very Breasts, 2023
Bronze and mixed media
Overall Dimensions: 288 x 825 x 1121 cm
113 3/8 x 324 3/4 x 441 3/8 in
Laure Prouvost
Landed Here To Sea You With All Our Very Breasts, 2023
Bronze and mixed media
Overall Dimensions: 288 x 825 x 1121 cm
113 3/8 x 324 3/4 x 441 3/8 in
Laure Prouvost
The Octopus Body - Softly Yours, 2023
Oil on linen
90 x 110 cm
35 3/8 x 43 1/4 in
Laure Prouvost
The Octopus Body - On Our Way, 2023
Oil on linen
220 x 280 cm
86 5/8 x 110 1/4 in
Laure Prouvost
From The Drawer - There Furth Her, 2023
Oil on paper
21 x 28.3 cm
8 1/4 x 11 1/8 in
Laure Prouvost
We Belong, 2022
Oil on canvas
175 x 230 x 3.5 cm
Laure Prouvost
Rune, 2022
Handblown Murano glass and bronze
88 x 22 x 28 cm
34 5/8 x 8 5/8 x 11 in
Laure Prouvost
Ole and True, 2022
Handblown Murano glass and bronze
Installation view of 'Laure Prouvost. Above Front Tears Oui Float', The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet), Oslo, Norway. Photograph by David Levene
Laure Prouvost
Laure Prouvost. Above Front Tears Oui Float.
2022
Installation view at The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet), Oslo, Norway. Photograph by David Levene
Laure Prouvost
Laure Prouvost. Above Front Tears Oui Float.
2022
Installation view at The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet), Oslo, Norway. Photograph by David Levene
Laure Prouvost
Laure Prouvost. Above Front Tears Oui Float.
2022
Installation view at The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet), Oslo, Norway. Photograph by David Levene
Laure Prouvost
Laure Prouvost
No More Front Tears
2022
Installation view at Frieze London 2022
Laure Prouvost
From The Drawer, See Star Together As One, 2022
Oil on paper
35.5 x 84.5 x 4 cm
Laure Prouvost
Still of Four For See Beauties, 2022
HD video
15 min 14 sec
ed. 1 of 3 + 2 APs
Laure Prouvost
The Scrawling Octopus, 2022
Glass
70 x 125 x 125 cm
Laure Prouvost
Above the claouds
2021
HD video plus installation (pully system, glass, video mapping, curtain and seat)
Installation view: Our elastic arm hold in tight through the claouds, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2021. Photography: David Stjernholm.
Laure Prouvost
Grand Dad's Visitor Centre
2017
Installation view at Centre, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2017. Photo: Agostino Osio
Laure Prouvost
Metal Man cleaning the floor
2017
HD video and mixed media 205 x 80 x 85 cm 80 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 33 1/2 in 3 minutes 51 seconds
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
AM-BIG-YOU-US LEGSICON
2019
Installation view at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp Photo: CLINCKX, courtesy M HKA
Laure Prouvost
IDEALLY THESE WORDS WOULD PAUSE EVERYTHING NOW
2019
'You are deeper than you think', Stratford station, 2019. Commissioned by Art on the Underground. Photo: Thierry Bal.
Laure Prouvost
YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE
2016
Oil and varnish on wood 30 x 40 cm 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in
Laure Prouvost
They Are Waiting for You
2017
Installation view, They Are Waiting for You, The Bass, 27 April - 2 September 2018. Image courtesy The Bass, Miami Beach. Photography by Zachary Balber.
Laure Prouvost
They Are Waiting for You
2017
Installation view, They Are Waiting for You, The Bass, 27 April - 2 September 2018. Image courtesy The Bass, Miami Beach. Photography by Zachary Balber.
Laure Prouvost
Portrait of the artist
2017
Portrait by Harry Kampianne
Laure Prouvost
IN GRAND MA'S DREAMS YOU WOULD STAY HERE FOREVER AND DANCE ALL NIGHT
2019
'You are deeper than you think', Stratford station, 2019. Commissioned by Art on the Underground. Photo: Thierry Bal.
Laure Prouvost
OH STAY WITH US THE PARTY HAS JUST BEGUN
2019
'You are deeper than you think', Heathrow Terminal 4 station, 2019. Commissioned by Art on the Underground. Photo: Thierry Bal.
Laure Prouvost
Fuck I was born to be here
2019
Tapestry, 140 x 240 cm, 55 x 94 3/8 in
Laure Prouvost
Cooling system 6 (for global warming)
2018
Glass, framed drawing, wood stick with watercolour, 220 x 100 x 100 cm (approx), 86 1/2 x 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in (approx)
Laure Prouvost
Cooling system 6 (for global warming)
2018
Glass, framed drawing, wood stick with watercolour, 220 x 100 x 100 cm (approx), 86 1/2 x 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in (approx)
Laure Prouvost
THE PERSON BEHIND WANTS TO TALK TO YOU
2019
Acrylic and varnish on board, 57.1 x 37.2 x 1.8 cm, 22 3/8 x 14 5/8 x 5/8 in
Laure Prouvost
The Hidden Paintings Grandma Improved - Together Ailleur
2019
Paint on canvas (triptych) 151 x 317 x 87.5 cm 59 3/8 x 124 3/4 x 34 3/8 in
Laure Prouvost
Mootherr, 2021
Installation view: Louisiana Museum, Denmark, 2021. Photo by Anders Sune Berg.
Laure Prouvost
This Means Embracing, 2020
Oil paint and collaged text on paper (diptych)
Laure Prouvost
IDEALLY THIS SIGN WOULD BE DEEPER
2011
Oil and varnish on board
30 x 40 x 2 cm
11 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 0 3/4 in
Laure Prouvost
Here we are floating in the future past
2020
Tapestry
156 x 205 x 1 cm (Approx)
61 3/8 x 80 5/8 x 3/8 in (Approx)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
Museum Exhibitions
Exhibitions
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Laure Prouvost: Pulled Towards You
27 April – 13 July 2024
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Laure Prouvost: Stranded By Your Side
7 September – 14 October 2023
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Selected Works in Seoul
2 September – 10 September 2023
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Pavilions
14 January – 12 February 2022
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Laure Provoust: Art Basel Miami Beach Onli...
29 November – 5 December 2021
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Delights of an Undirected Mind
7 August – 28 August 2021
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Laure Prouvost
17 June – 27 June 2021
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Horizon
6 October – 31 October 2020
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Laure Prouvost: Re-dit-en-un-in-learning C...
6 October – 4 November 2020
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Laure Prouvost: DEEP TRAVEL Ink
9 March – 14 April 2018
