the new Ar Men Du gallery wants to give a chance to all artists

Laurence Le Hire fulfilled her dream at the age of 70 by opening her gallery studio, a first exhibition of her works will lead to an opening on Friday January 24, 2025.

Au 118, avenue de la République in Saint-Nazaire, Laurence Le Hire is busy preparing for the opening of the galerie Ar Men Duon an exhibition of his sculptures and photographs. With artistic training, and after a professional career in Paris dedicated to images, the retiree in love with matter, microdetails and imagination, chose the landscapes of Saint-Nazaire to give free rein to her inspiration. Aware of the obstacles that must often be overcome before exhibiting, she also wishes to open her space to favorite artists. The first opening on Friday January 24 at 6 p.m. will be followed by two afternoons of open days.

Dive into the golden age of advertising

After artistic and art history studies in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, then Paris, Laurence Le Hire began her career in 1976 at Louvre copyists’ office. “I then got into advertising by chance. I stayed for 10 years in the advertising film production department of a Parisian agency. It was the golden age of advertising, with campaigns that have since become legendary! » she says. Remember the advertisement for Pacific alcohol-free pastis with Stéphanie Seymour, or the Japanese-themed spot for Obao deodorant… Laurence Le Hire joined the Group in 1988 Danonewhere she is responsible for optimizing audiovisual production costs for France and Italy. “It was no longer enough for me, it was at that time that I opened my first workshop. I spent all my weekends sculpting”. For 20 years, Laurence Le Hire has participated in around forty exhibitions in the Paris region, and more recently in the Saint-Nazaire region where she chose to settle.

Your advertisement here: 02 49 52 33 38

A city crush

Originally from northern Brittany, Laurence Le Hire wanted to keep track of his ties even in the name of his gallery, Ar Men Du“the black stone” in Breton. A name which also recalls one of his favorite materials. “I immediately fell in love with the industrial side of Saint-Nazaire, and its great diversity” she indicates. The underwater base, in particular, becomes one of his favorite areas of exploration. She photographs all the details, and in 2021 exhibits a series of abstract photos at the La Base concept store. His monolithic sculptures in marble or siporex and his photography series then received a very warm welcome at the Contre-Courant gallery in Paimboeuf, or at the Fort de Villès-Martin.

“I dream in black and white”

Black and white dominate in the sculptures and photographs, most often abstract, by Laurence Le Hire. “I am not interested in photographing reality, I prefer what my soul sees”. She seeks to capture the microdetails of fibers and matter in plant calligraphies, superimposes papers, mixes techniques, before photographing all these elements like still lifes, in unique prints on art paper. The first exhibition at Ar Men Du will highlight his personal worksthen it will open up to other artists. “I love creating, I want to give artists a chance by making this place available. There are few exhibition spaces in Saint-Nazaire, I myself have suffered from this” she continues. Laurence Le Hire still has other projects in mind, to once again extend her hand, this time to Fine Arts students, “I would like to get closer to the school, and organize a competition, to then exhibit the works of young artists” she announces.