Archi-tectonique Maxime Lamarche

12 | 07 | 18

12nd July – 30th August 2018

The name ‘Archi-tectonic’ is a reference not only to the sculptured concrete architecture of Flaine, but also to the emergence of its landscape through tectonic activity.

In his latest exhibition, Maxime Lenoir takes us to an imaginary place where the concepts of true and false seem to blend together. His ‘accidents de surfaces’ series, which represents car bodies covered in dents was, in fact, created through molding. Made from fiberglass, they impress by their colour and their West Coast feel, which could almost be described as custom-kitsch. It is the frontier between two western legends; the wide open space and the speeding car. Everything mechanical has been deposed, leaving only the mountain and its permanence.

Various models show the Mont Blanc range, Reunion Island, and Flaine! This series of mountains might have the romantic undertones of a Gaspard David Fiedritch*, but it brings to mind even more so the furniture of Marcel Breuer, particularly his Wassily range, model n°B3 from 1925 with its shiny stainless steel structures

Thumbing his nose at modernity, Lamarche uses old, discarded objects for his works, mostly salvaged items from the leisure industry. His 2018 work ‘Deux Poids, Deux Mésures’ (rules for some but not for others) is a fine example of this, being constructed from ship decking barriers.

By using artificial plants, he tries to make us think about our relationship with exoticism and the stereotypic representation of the landscapes that he creates - from deserts to Zen gardens to steep mountain summits

The photo-posters displayed in the exhibition are the result of moments of performance where the sculpture finds itself in direct confrontation with the outside world, continuing to question the landscape beyond the walls of the exhibition hall.

Eugène Breton, July 2018

*19th century, German romantic painter

Maxime Lamarche's website

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