Artist: Maude Léonard-Contant
Exhibition title: spot on
Curated by: Eveline Suter
Venue: Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern, Switzerland
Date: June 10 – September 17, 2022
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Kunstmuseum Luzern
Cattail
I wanted you from afar for so long. Now that I revolve daringly around you, it’s for your fleshy stem that I do; I burn to bite into its tender raw core, even knowing that at the last moment, the stagnant water from which your broad leaves rise will hold me back. My sweet, my stiff and supple at once, it’s only a matter of time: I will yield to your goodness, the most delicious sentence there is.
Asclepias
Thank you for standing guard during the years of happiness.
Your milk stuck to my fingers and stained my clothes. Indeed, I split open your pods to reach your coma, and spread sequin-like seeds by pulling your silk – unknowingly participating in your dissemination. We spent one summer hanging you upside down to feed our chickens, unaware that the steroid molecules in your latex were slowly poisoning them (the same story goes for your medicinal virtues, well-known to those who were here first; we were equally ignorant of your/their sapience). I kept track of the plump black-and-white-striped caterpillars that roamed your stems, searched for the jade and gold-beaded chrysalises hanging from your leaves. What a balm to know that after too long a wait, you once again fulfill your role as the host plant of monarch butterflies.
My queens, you rise above it all.
Maude Léonard-Contant, spot on, 2023, exhibition view, Kunstmuseum Luzern
Maude Léonard-Contant, spot on, 2023, exhibition view, Kunstmuseum Luzern
Maude Léonard-Contant, spot on, 2023, exhibition view, Kunstmuseum Luzern
Maude Léonard-Contant, Racines froides, 2023, blades of grasses, hawthorn petals, magnets, magnolia petals, meadow buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Racines froides, 2023, blades of grasses, hawthorn petals, magnets, magnolia petals, meadow buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Racines froides, 2023, blades of grasses, hawthorn petals, magnets, magnolia petals, meadow buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Racines froides, 2023, blades of grasses, hawthorn petals, magnets, magnolia petals, meadow buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Herbes aux chantres, 2023, hedge mustard, pleated organza, porcupine quills, steel,wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Herbes aux chantres, 2023, hedge mustard, pleated organza, porcupine quills, steel,wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Herbes aux chantres, 2023, hedge mustard, pleated organza, porcupine quills, steel,wood, leather, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Cattails, 2023, fig leaves, horsehair, leather, magnets, mullein leaves, narrowleaf cattail stalks, pimbina petals, pleated organza, pleated raw silk, pleated silk taffeta, poppy flower bud, porcupine quills, soap weed flowers, wood buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, Cattails, 2023, fig leaves, horsehair, leather, magnets, mullein leaves, narrowleaf cattail stalks, pimbina petals, pleated organza, pleated raw silk, pleated silk taffeta, poppy flower bud, porcupine quills, soap weed flowers, wood buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, Cattails, 2023, fig leaves, horsehair, leather, magnets, mullein leaves, narrowleaf cattail stalks, pimbina petals, pleated organza, pleated raw silk, pleated silk taffeta, poppy flower bud, porcupine quills, soap weed flowers, wood buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, Cattails, 2023, fig leaves, horsehair, leather, magnets, mullein leaves, narrowleaf cattail stalks, pimbina petals, pleated organza, pleated raw silk, pleated silk taffeta, poppy flower bud, porcupine quills, soap weed flowers, wood buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, Cattails, 2023, fig leaves, horsehair, leather, magnets, mullein leaves, narrowleaf cattail stalks, pimbina petals, pleated organza, pleated raw silk, pleated silk taffeta, poppy flower bud, porcupine quills, soap weed flowers, wood buttercup, organza, pleated cotton, steel, wood, leather, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, The night rules, 2023, broadleaves cattail fruits, iris leaves, petals of diverse irises («Blackout», «Dracula’s Kiss», “Anvil of Darkness”, “Tabu”, “Blackbeard” and “The night rules”), pleated satin crepe, wood, leather, pleated silk organza, pleated silk tulle, porcupine squills, satin, silk cocoons, steel, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, The night rules, 2023, broadleaves cattail fruits, iris leaves, petals of diverse irises («Blackout», «Dracula’s Kiss», “Anvil of Darkness”, “Tabu”, “Blackbeard” and “The night rules”), pleated satin crepe, wood, leather, pleated silk organza, pleated silk tulle, porcupine squills, satin, silk cocoons, steel, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, The night rules, 2023, broadleaves cattail fruits, iris leaves, petals of diverse irises («Blackout», «Dracula’s Kiss», “Anvil of Darkness”, “Tabu”, “Blackbeard” and “The night rules”), pleated satin crepe, wood, leather, pleated silk organza, pleated silk tulle, porcupine squills, satin, silk cocoons, steel, photo: Marc Latzel
Maude Léonard-Contant, Mes ancolies, 2023, cactus thorns, dark columbine, leather, organza, pleated organza, porcupine quill, silk tulle, silk co-coon, slender wood violet petals, snow queen columbine, steel, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Mes ancolies, 2023, cactus thorns, dark columbine, leather, organza, pleated organza, porcupine quill, silk tulle, silk co-coon, slender wood violet petals, snow queen columbine, steel, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Poppy pâmoison, 2023, corn- and opium poppy petals, leather, magnets, satin, steel, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Sauvage fraise, 2023, hawthorn thorns, leather, magnets, pleated organza, silk threads, steel, wild raspberry leaves, wild strawberry leaves, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Sauvage fraise, 2023, hawthorn thorns, leather, magnets, pleated organza, silk threads, steel, wild raspberry leaves, wild strawberry leaves, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach
Maude Léonard-Contant, Sauvage fraise, 2023, hawthorn thorns, leather, magnets, pleated organza, silk threads, steel, wild raspberry leaves, wild strawberry leaves, wood, photo: Moritz Schermbach