Laurent Diemer
Artist Statement

I have always worked with wood. Early in my career I created large figurative works outdoors, located in the forest and vineyard areas of my native Alsace. Spending time in the vineyards as a youth gave me a strong sense of seasonal cycles and the ancestral traditions that revolved around them. Most importantly, I developed a respect for natural forms and elements. It is on these that I base my art. I have since traveled extensively from the rainforest to the taiga to explore the natural world, in particular to study forests and to experience new forms and elements.
All my materials are first found or collected. I use pieces that are discarded or unwanted by others, that which is abandoned. It is my contact with the raw wood and the personal experience that I develop with it that generate the creative process for each new piece.
I have refined my use of materials and forms to create what are essentially sculptures made with trees. I delight in the unexpected presence of the tree without its forest, as well the whisper of human, animal, plant or mineral forms in each piece. I view my art as an important tool in reminding viewers that, notwithstanding the wonders of the technology age, humans cannot escape from the natural world and instead would do better to understand their place in it.