ABOUT

Laurent Vernet is an art writer and urban studies researcher. As both, he makes use of sociological approaches to examine the relationship between art and society, particularly the encounter between artworks and publics.

For his doctoral research in urban studies at the Centre Urbanisation Culture Société of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, he studied publics for artworks in public spaces. He has published essays on his work and has also made presentations at international conferences. He is regularly invited to lecture and host workshops at the college and university levels.

Vernet’s interest in how works of public art are received and experienced dates back to his master’s degree in art history, which he completed in 2006 at Concordia University. His thesis subject was the public art program at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

In his exhibition reviews and essays on contemporary art, he reflects on politics through the notions of spectacle, engagement, and controversy. His essays have been published in exhibition catalogues and in the magazines Spirale, Ciel Variable, and Espace. For Espace, he has edited special thematic sections.

Since 2006, Vernet has held a variety of positions in public institutions as an arts and culture professional.