Heterotopia #18

The vividly coloured almost hyperreal imagery of Karine Laval’s “Heterotopia” results in a dreamlike exposure to the natural world. Borrowed from French philosopher Michel Foucault, “Heterotopia” describes the limbic nature of existing places throughout the world that are “neither here, nor there”.

Using two-way mirrors and Mylar sheeting, Laval performs a series of reversible interventions in the natural landscape, transforming verdant scenery into a series of kaleidoscopic composites that oscillate between the real and the imagined.

It is on that fine line between representation and abstraction that we find ourselves or lose ourselves, as Laval demonstrates photography’s unique ability to conceal, distort, and finally reveal.

Laval’s images transport viewers into naïve atmospheres that capture the feeling as well as the substance of everyday life in the twenty-first century. The later series, ‘Heterotopia’, continue Laval’s evolving exploration of distorted realities and altered perceptions, resulting in manipulations of light and colour as sophisticated as they are seductive.