Once Upon a Place — Artist Lucas Beaufort took his illustrated monsters on a journey across Europe, looking for inspiration from nature and urban spaces.

When he was a child, artist Lucas Beaufort had a recurring nightmare. Imaginary creatures would torment him while he slept. But when he began to draw and paint the monsters who stalked his dreams, his relationship with them changed dramatically.

“My monsters became my friends, my family, my brothers,” Lucas explains. “They always talk to me and I like to listen their advice, they guide me.”VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-21VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-7

Lucas’ trademark monsters have been on a phenomenal journey since the days when he used to daydream and draw them as a child. Growing up with skateboarding in the South of France, the monsters have since graced skate photos, decks, pages from old skate magazines, and much more besides.

“Seven years ago I started to paint on photos,” Lucas says. “It was a way for me to give another life to places, people and actions that I love. Putting my monsters in existing situations makes me feel like I was there when the photo was taken.”VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-96 VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-86

In Once Upon a Place, Lucas spent 15 days travelling across Europe, through London, Berlin, Stockholm and Helsinki, exploring the contrasts between life in the city and the countryside.

“The city always reminds you that you’re small and you’re just a little piece of the puzzle,” Lucas explains. “I love nature equally. It’s an empty place, but just as full of joy.”VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-12VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-4

Evidence of the travels undertaken by Lucas and his monsters appear in a short film and gallery show in Paris.VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-78VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-97

Wherever he is, and whether or not his monsters are by his side, Lucas is still daydreaming.

“I dream about jumping between places or freezing time,” he says. “I want to control my own life, or create my own path. I just want to be me.”VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-2VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-4VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-85VERNISSAGE LUCAS B exp-10

Check out more of Lucas Beaufort’s work.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Latest on Huck

Exploring the impact of colonialism on Australia’s Indigenous communities
Photography

Exploring the impact of colonialism on Australia’s Indigenous communities

New exhibition, ‘Under a Southern Star: Identity and Environment in Australian Photography’ interrogates the use of photography as a tool of objectification and subjugation.

Written by: Miss Rosen

My sister disappeared when we were children. Years later, I retraced her footsteps
Photography

My sister disappeared when we were children. Years later, I retraced her footsteps

After a car crash that saw Magnum photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa hospitalised, his sister ran away from their home in South Africa. His new photobook, I Carry Her Photo With Me, documents his journey in search of her.

Written by: Lindokuhle Sobekwa

Inside New York City’s hedonistic 2000s skateboarding scene
Photography

Inside New York City’s hedonistic 2000s skateboarding scene

New photobook, ‘Epicly Later’d’ is a lucid survey of the early naughties New York skate scene and its party culture.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Did we create a generation of prudes?
Culture

Did we create a generation of prudes?

Has the crushing of ‘teen’ entertainment and our failure to represent the full breadth of adolescent experience produced generation Zzz? Emma Garland investigates.

Written by: Emma Garland

How to shoot the world’s most gruelling race
Photography

How to shoot the world’s most gruelling race

Photographer R. Perry Flowers documented the 2023 edition of the Winter Death Race and talked through the experience in Huck 81.

Written by: Josh Jones

An epic portrait of 20th Century America
Photography

An epic portrait of 20th Century America

‘Al Satterwhite: A Retrospective’ brings together scenes from this storied chapter of American life, when long form reportage was the hallmark of legacy media.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now