Laurent Grasso in Ruse: the artfulness of deceit

As television has become saturated with its own constructed take on ‘reality’ and news media has become more deeply embroiled in the question of what authenticity might actually mean - the exhibition takes time to explore some of the grey areas between reality and illusion. In some ways, ideas of reality are only a matter of belief, if this is the case, then the points where this is stretched to breaking point become of particular interest. In the world of the magic act, we know we are being tricked by the skill of the performer, the intrigue lies in the way it is done. Outside of the theatrical, where different kinds of deception take place, things are not always so easy to spot.

The exhibition focusses on things that are not quite what they seem. It is based firmly in the realm of the ordinary, but explores how this might be transformed. This appears through different guises; an interest in world of illusion, reconfiguring the pages of the mass media, cinema as a device to divert the masses. All of which relates to the desire to manipulate people and things. All of the work reflects on the shifting boundaries between reality, truth and illusion.