TILBURG.- Starting today, De Pont Museum is presenting a compelling and immersive exhibition by Laure Prouvost (1978), in which the artist welcomes visitors into a surreal, absurdist and poetic world of her own making. In IN THE MIST OF IT ALL, ABOVE FRONT TEARS, social engagement and the limitless power of imagination find expression through video, sculpture, performance, textile and text. In an entirely unique manner, Prouvost conveys a hopeful and liberating message concerning themes such as ecology, the female body and migration.

Prouvost’s artistic universe is full of contrasts: by turns humorous and serious, her work takes us from dark and dystopian to the light as the artist oscillates between reality and fiction. In a monumental video installation several metres high, ‘Grandma’ – one of the recurring characters in Prouvost’s oeuvre – is given wings. This fulfils her dream to soar high above the clouds like a bird and look down the world from above. Grandma’s dreams and visions form the basis of this exhibition, in which Prouvost confronts the visitor with the consequences of global warming and the migration of people and birds – while at the same time, inviting us to float freely above the clouds and shatter the boundaries that limit us.

Prouvost was recently nominated as ‘Artist of the Year’ by the leading British art journal Apollo. She also displayed her work in the French pavilion during the 58th Venice Biennale and was awarded the Turner Prize in 2013.

De Pont is an independent museum of contemporary art, housed in a former wool-spinning mill. Benthem Crouwel Architects transformed the industrial building, with its characteristic sawtooth roof, into an exceptional exhibition space with abundant daylight. The alternating display of artworks – in the large, open space and in intimate ‘wool-storage rooms’ ­– offers a unique experience to visitors.

The museum opened in 1992; in 2016 it was expanded with a new wing for, among other things, photography and video presentations. This addition connects with a more spacious museum café and a beautiful garden.

De Pont
Laure Prouvost: IN THE MIST OF IT ALL, ABOVE FRONT TEARS
24 February 2024 - 18 August 2024