An elephant in the room that will soon be standing on a city street
LAURENCE VALLIÈRES’S artwork has been taking shape in front of the gaze of curious passers-by.
The Montreal-based artist began work on her latest installation – featuring large cardboard elephants – in an empty glass-fronted building in Humber Street, in Hull, at the weekend.
The work, which centres on the issue of homelessness, will be completed this Friday.
It has been sponsored by Hullbased Hudgell Solicitors, which moved its headquarters to the Fruit Market 12 months ago and is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The firm will be marking the completion of the artwork on Friday by launching a “major new community project” through The Neil Hudgell Trust.
The artist counts writer George Orwell and cartoonist Art Spiegelman, who was behind the tragic comic novel Maus, among her influences. She has made her name by creating massive, often life-sized sculptures of animals out of recycled cardboard.
Her installations have been commissioned for cities and galleries around the world including in Korea, Russia, and across Europe as well as The Burning Man Festival in Nevada.
Her visit during City of Culture year sees her create her first publicly displayed installation in the UK outside an art fair setting and follows her appearance at the Moniker Art Fair’s eighth edition last week in London. Jo Hudgell, chair of the Neil Hudgell Trust, said: “Laurence’s work is about symbolising human relationships, communication, political issues and social behaviour, and her installation in Hull has a close link to plans we have to do more in the community through The Neil Hudgell Trust.
“Like the aim from 2017, we are also hoping to create something of a legacy on the back of this week, so it is very exciting.”