Art Elevated
These days, fantasy and dreams are allowed, more than ever, to be part of our everyday lives. In this context, the French artist Laurent Chéhère has decided to turn the tables on reality, and use architectural forms found in the streets of Paris, only to elevate them into something else, something unreal but at the same time extremely familiar. His collection of images named The Flying Houses, now out by Kehrer Verlag editions, is a surrealist and poetic vision of old Paris inspired by Jules Verne, Hayao Miyazaki, Albert Robida, Moebius, Robert Doisneau, Wim Wenders, Federico Fellini, William Klein, Serge Gainsbourg, Marcel Carné, Jean Cocteau and more. Housing, architecture, cinema, pop culture, street art, history, this series raises diverse subjects, futile or not, by using edifices as props separated from their surroundings.
Far from their urban context and broken free from the anonymity of the street, these buildings float amongst the clouds, narrating or maybe, sometimes, inventing a story about the lives, dreams and hopes of their inhabitants.
After being detached from their environment, the structures are decorated with hundreds of elements captured and assembled like a puzzle, in magnificent photomontage. The large scale of the picture allows for a very interesting reading of every piece. The curious observer will discover hidden details of these accurate reconstructions by moving both far and close. The artist uses this distance to propose a different point of view. He gives some keys, but these flying houses remain open to the interpretation, it’s finally the observer who will make his own way.
Laurent Chéhère is a French artist born in Paris. He likes exploring cities, suburbs, countries, as he likes exploring all the fields of the photography, from Reportage to conceptual image.
The “Flying Houses” were exhibited at several exhibitions and will be on display at the Persiehl & Heine Gallery in Hamburg, from November 15, 2018 – January 19, 2019.
Laurent Chéhère
Flying Houses
Text by Laurent Chéhère, Marion Thiery Designed by Laurent Chéhère and Kehrer Design Hardcover
