Laurent Craste: Politicizing porcelain – La Fabrique culturelle

What happens when a porcelain vase meets a baseball bat? Or an axe? For ceramist Laurent Craste, such an “encounter” is not about destruction, but rather the construction of meaning. In this way, the decorative object at the heart of his practice becomes the stage for a representation of violence that destabilizes, the better to provoke reflection. This reflection extends beyond the incidence of the first glance, through the multiple layers of meaning and historical referents that translate the artist’s socio-political concerns.

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Born in France, Laurent Craste lived in Montreal for many years before settling in Lanaudière. Trained as a ceramist and holder of a Master’s degree in visual and media arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), he won several scholarships for excellence throughout his school career, which led him to teach ceramics at college, without ever abandoning his artistic career.

For more than 20 years, Laurent Craste has been building a body of work that testifies to exceptional technical mastery and constantly renewed relevance. Proof of this is his participation in over sixty group exhibitions around the world, in addition to his personal exhibitions and the numerous distinctions he has received over the years. His works can be found in major collections such as those of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the City of Montreal, the Art Gallery of Burlington, Majudia, Claridge, Cirque du Soleil, Loto-Québec, and others.

https://www.laurentcraste.com/