Laurie Charles

Laurie Charles (b. 1987) produces video, writes and paints. In this multimedial practice, the specific setting is often the starting point in which Charles creates an environment where narratives can develop in an unpredictable manner. She draws inspiration from theories such as speculative fiction, object-oriented philosophy and ecofeminism, which she cuts and pastes into a new scenario.

Le Chalet is a subtle sequel to Charles' film Love of Matter (2016). The eponymous exhibition consists of a projection of the new video and an installation of large painted canvases. The film tells a strongly layered story in which four friends trek into the pristine countryside and reflect on alternative lifestyles and communes. Charles deliberately uses clichéd imagery about our contemporary experience of nature, which neatly exposes the imaginary division between nature and culture. The painted curtains form a physical as well as mental backdrop for the video. The life-size colourful paintings depict human internal and external organs, and bring to mind prehistoric cave paintings.

Laurie Charles' work has been shown at Terzo Fronte (Rome), Wiels (Brussels), Efremidis Gallery (Berlin), Grazer Kunstverein, 1646 (The Hague), Nanjing International Art Festival (Nanjing), Beursschouwburg (Brussels), Komplot (Brussels), and Le Commissariat (Paris), among others.