Locus Solus at Yvon Lambert

Locus Solus, ‘lonely space‘, is an apt title for this group show at Galerie Yvon Lambert. It’s taken from the title of a novel by Raymond Roussel, in which the protagonist Martial Canterel’s country estate is called Locus Solus. Canteral is a whacky scientist and inventor and his locus solus is full of his own weird creations. All compete in complexity and peculiarity, and illustrate – beyond the image of the accomplished scientist – artistic genius. Yvon Lambert’s exhibition plays on the title: each work is isolated – the ensemble of lonely landscapes and unusual pieces are coherent in their own right, but together they recreate the enigmatic ambiance of Roussel’s novel. Loris Greaud’s tree installation gives the second room an instantly mysterious and desolate feel, like a three-dimensional incarnation of the lonely landscapes on show by Nan Goldin, Olafur Eliasson, Paul Cezanne and Salla Tykkä. The journey around the room brings out more and more strange and beautiful treats. From Jason Dodge’s gem-stuffed owl to Markus Schinwald’s magic box, which contains a tiny projected image of a dancer, and Zilvinas Kempinas’s fluttering circle of magnetic tape, Locus Solus delights without shocking, and is an invitation to a leisurely and reflexive promenade. (Until 23 Dec)