Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Laurent Lamarche & Kevin Dubeau: Nochronie
Text by Vania Djelani
Laurent Lamarche’s practice moves between the world of science, art and philosophy, inviting us to examine the tension between the natural and the artificial. Created in collaboration with Kevin Dubeau, a visual artist that similarly tackles themes of materiality, simulation and plasticity, the works presented in Nochronie take on the shape of the monolith reimagined through the use of synthetic imagery and aluminium.
From a geological standpoint, monoliths typically refer to a single, massive piece of stone or rock. In terms of architecture, monoliths can also refer to monumental, rock-cut, man-made statues or structures. Dating back from prehistoric times to making mystical appearances in science fiction, these mysterious figures raised speculations on their ritualistic, spiritual, territorial, and even astrological functions. Embodying the symbolic axis between the earth and the sky, in matter and spirit, Lamarche’s incorporation of aluminium to an otherwise ancient structure creates a futuristic aesthetic that echoes the permanence of time.
In employing a variety of mediums and techniques, Nochronie confronts the tension between art and artefact, nature and technology. Through the use of 3D modeling, aluminium sculpture, 3D printing, virtual reality, and digital imaging software, Lamarche takes cues from the past, present, and a speculative future resulting in the creation of objects that simultaneously belong in all and none of those places. The cold, industrial feel of the aluminium structures, with cracked, fragmented surface and mechanical breaks, are reminiscent of mineral fractures and rock fissures that bear the traces of an ever-changing environment.
Situated within the white walls of the gallery, Lamarche’s Nochronie presents as relics of the future. As objects frozen in time, their appearance links archeology with science fiction and confronts us with the achievements and ills of our time. Between artistry, authenticity and computer-assisted creation, the objects in Nochronie address our relationship to time, space, and technology. Lamarche’s sculptures are self-conscious in that they draw awareness to the limits of production, teetering between ruin and rebirth.
