Laurent Grasso (b. 1972, France) is fascinated by the science of electromagnetic energy, radio waves, naturally occurring phenomena, and paranormal activity, and his work offers visual explorations of these themes. “Incorporating imagery culled from the cinema and art history, Grasso works in video, sculpture, painting, and drawing, to recreate phenomena – both human and natural – that set up surreal and ambiguous juxtapositions of time and space.
“Grasso often intentionally manipulates imagery by imposing unique and unusual perspectives onto his subject matter, thereby subverting viewer’s instincts to accept what they see at face value. A continually shifting viewpoint is at the heart of Grasso's aesthetic sensibility – in Grasso's words, ‘the idea is to construct a floating viewpoint, thereby creating a discrepancy in relation to reality. We move from one viewpoint to another, and that's also how we manufacture states of consciousness.’” [1]
The artist creates mysterious atmospheres that challenge the boundaries of what we perceive and know. Anachronism and hybridity play an active role in his strategy, which entails diffracting reality in order to recompose it according to his own rules. Fascinated by the way in which various powers can affect human conscience, Grasso seeks to grasp, reveal, and materialize the invisible, from collective fears to politics to electromagnetic or paranormal phenomena. His meditative, ambient video works in particular raise questions about perception, consciousness, reality, and natural and supernatural forces and events.
Laurent Grasso lives and works in Paris, France. He is represented by Sean Kelly Gallery and Galerie Perrotin.
Artist Interview
Review
Selected Exhibitions
2020 (Upcoming)
Laurent Grasso, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France
2018
- Otto, Galerie Perrotin, Paris, France
2017
- Screening: Elysée, Galerie Perrotin, Paris, France
- Screening: Elysée, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
- The Panoptes Project, Olivier Malingue, London, UK [catalogue]
2016
- Elysée, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong, China
- Laurent Grasso, Galerie Perrotin, Seoul, South Korea
- PARAMUSEUM, Palais Fesch, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Ajaccio, France [catalogue]
2015
- Soleil Noir, Hermès Foundation, Tokyo, Japan [catalogue]
2014
- Les Oiseaux, Musée de l'hospice Saint-Roch, Issoudun, France
- Soleil Double, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
- Soleil Double, Galerie Perrotin, Paris, France [catalogue]
2013
- Disasters and Miracles, Kunsthaus Baselland, Muttenz, Switzerland
- Uraniborg, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montréal, Canada [catalogue]
- On Air, galerie Trois/ SCAD, Atlanta, USA
- Laurent Grasso, lauréat du prix Marcel Duchamp, Palazzo Nani Bernardo Luscheschi, Venice, Italy
- Purkinje Effect, Galerie 1900-2000, Paris, France
2012
- Uraniborg, Jeu de Paume, Paris, France [catalogue]
- Future Archeology, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong, China [catalogue]
- Anechoic Pavilion, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong, China
- Du Soleil dans la Nuit, Nuit blanche, La Samaritaine, Paris, France
2011
- Portrait of a Young Man, Bass Museum of Art, Miami, Florida, USA
- The Black Box Laurent Grasso, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, USA
- Nomiya, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
- 1610, Alfonso Artiaco Project Space, Napoli, Italy
2010
- The Birds, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- SoundFossil, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
- The Silent Movie, Galerie Chez Valentin, Paris, France
- Nomiya, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
2009
- Reflections Belong to the Past, Kunstverein Arnsberg, Arnsberg, Germany
- The Horn Perspective, Centre Pompidou, Espace 315, Paris, France
- Nomiya, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
- Gakona, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
- ArtLA, galerie Chez Valentin [stand], Barkar Hangar, Santa Monica, California, USA
2008
- Laurent Grasso, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada
- Infinite light, Hunter College, New York, USA
- Neurocinéma, Musée départemental de Rochechouart, Rochechouart, France
- TimeDust, galerie Chez Valentin, Paris, France
- Lʼatelier dʼhiver de Laurent Grasso, domaine Pommery, Reims, France
- Neurocinéma, Akbank Sanat, Istanbul, Turkey
2007
- Electric Palace, Studio 814, New York, USA
- Lost, Ateliers des Arques, Les Arques, France
- Magnetic Palace, IAC - Institut d'Art Contemporain, Villeurbanne, France
- In parallelen Welten, Mseum of Contemporary Art of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
2006
- Du Soleil dans la Nuit, Nuit blanche, Paris, France
- L'Eclipse, MIT List, Visual Art Center, Cambridge, Massachussetts, USA
- 28°, in collaboration with Philippe Rahm, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes, France
- Paracinéma, Fondation Paul Ricard, Paris, France
- Paracinéma, Villa Médicis, Rome, Italy
2005
- Projection, galerie Chez Valentin, Paris, France
- OK / OKAY, Swiss Institute, New York, USA
- Projection, Extraspazio, Rome, Italy
- Laurent Grasso, galerie SMP, Marseille, France
- Radio Color Studio 1, De Appel Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Purkinje's Tree, IrmaVepLab, Châtillon-sur-Marne, France
2004
- Radio Ghost, Le Crédac, Ivry-sur-Seine, France
- Radio Ghost, Galerie du Jour Agnès b., Hong Kong, China
- Du Soleil dans les Yeux, Halle au poisson, Perpignan, France
- Radio Ghost, Galerie du Jour Agnès b., Tokyo, Japan
Featured Artwork
ProjectionDuration:
Edition: 3/4 + 1AP
Archival: DVD
Exhibition copy: mp4 digital file
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Provenance: Galerie Chez Valentin
L'eclipse
Edition: 1/5 + 2 AP
Archival: DVD
Exhibition copy: mp4 digital file
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Provence: Galerie Chez Valentin
Les Oiseaux
Duration: 6:30 min
Edition: 3/4 + 1AP
Archival: DVD
Exhibition copy: mp4 digital file
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Provenance: Galerie Chez Valentin
[1] Laurent Grasso, quoted in “Laurent Grasso Biography,” Sean Kelly Gallery, http://origin.www.skny.com/artists/laurent-grasso (accessed October 8, 2020).