Review by Kate Mothes for Colossal. February 2025
Whether slathered with graffiti, overgrown with moss, or decorated with found knick-knacks, Simon Laveuveβs sculptures hint at anonymous lives. Even though we never see those who inhabit the eclectic miniature dwellings (previously), the artist invites us to examine an alternative way of life.
Crafted at 1/35 scale, tiny tables, windows, paintings, and other objects fill multi-story rooms and mezzanines. In his most recent works, Laveuve continues his characteristic assemblage-like style, imagining a post-apocalyptic reality where basic belongings provide for a simple life.
In βDβun bout Γ lβautre,β for example, which translates to βfrom one end to the otherβ the structure appears to have risen from the pier of a long-destroyed bridge. Its swampy base contains old tires and other detritus, while above, a narrow, three-story shack includes basic amenities.In this imagined existence, there is presumably no electricity grid or internet, a windmill provides enough power for a fan and a refrigerator, and a tank stores water. Laveuve taps into a kind of βfuture past,β turning to equipment and methods many of us view as obsolete today, like gramophones and metal milk jugs.
If youβre in Paris, you can see Laveuveβs solo exhibition Voir Loin at Loo & Lou Gallery through March 1. His work is also included in Small Is Beautiful, which is currently on view in Taipei. Discover more miniature worlds on the artistβs website and Instagram.
Colossal