Home Artists Olivier Bertrand

Olivier Bertrand

Olivier Bertrand was born in Marseille in 1975, to a French father and an Asian mother. He became fascinated with drawing, visual arts and, more specifically, origami at a very early age. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been captivated by the metamorphosis of a simple sheet of paper which, with a few smart folds, comes to life and sparks emotion.”

After graduating with a Master’s in Economic, he finally chose to move into web design. 15 years on, he took advantage of a period of convalescence to go back to his first love. Although this time round he’s not folding pieces of paper, his mantra remains the same: and it’s cardboard that he works with a new twist. By assembling bits of cardboard together, he now creates extraordinarily-amazing life-sized animals.

The choice of cardboard animals

“Cardboard offers a host of advantages; it’s ever-so easy to get hold of and it’s a light material which is perfectly workable for large-scale subjects… I really love the idea of creating using an everyday product, one which people throw out, and of striving to make it desirable.”

Bertrand collects cardboard boxes of different thicknesses, and uses the thickest ones to build the framework of the sculpture. The sculptures are treated with a flame retardant and a transparent epoxy finishing resin to stiffen them and guarantee their durability.

 

“By sculpting cardboard animals, I really feel as if I’m totally in tune with my favourite topic, the environment. I enjoy choosing animals which radiate considerable power, rather contradictory actually at first glance given the fragility of the cardboard I use. Through this duality between the subject and its material, I try, in my own way, to sound the alarm bell as to the precariousness of animal species.”

Works

Le Spartiate debout
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
70 x 60 x 80 cm 27 1/2 x 23 5/8 x 31 1/2 in
La Fille dans le Vent, 2023
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
64 x 22 x 26 cm 25 1/4 x 8 5/8 x 10 1/4 in
Garouda
Karton en epoxyhars
120 x 100 x 90 cm
La Geisha
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
73 x 40 x 45 cm 28 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 17 3/4 in
Le Spartiate au casque relevé, 2022
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
100 x 25 x 50 cm 39 3/8 x 9 7/8 x 19 3/4 in
Le Tigre mural
Karton en epoxyhars
55 x 125 x 40 cm
Monumental Spartan, 2023
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
210 x 60 x 130 cm 82 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 51 1/8 in
Son Goku
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
50 x 35 x 35 cm 19 3/4 x 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 in
Yin
Karton en epoxyhars
40 x 30 x 30 cm
Sun Wukong, 2023
Karton en epoxyhars
40 x 40 x 50 cm
The Perplex Panda
Karton en epoxyhars
110 x 70 x 100 cm
Wake Up, 2023
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
40 x 30 x 50 cm 15 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 19 3/4 in
Yin & Yang
Karton en epoxyhars
40 x 30 x 20 cm
In’ei
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
70 x 35 x 80 cm 27 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 31 1/2 in
Dancing Horse
Geresineerd karton
80 x 50 x 60 cm
Kojiro
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
70 x 35 x 80 cm 27 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 31 1/2 in
Okko
Geresineerd karton
30 x 30 x 45 cm
Pandas
Geresineerd karton
80 x 50 x 60 cm
Prancing Horse, 2023
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
60 x 50 x 80 cm 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 x 31 1/2 in
Jumping Tiger, 2021
Brons
8 x 45 x 128 cm 3 1/8 x 17 3/4 x 50 3/8 in
Resilience
Geresineerd karton
40 x 35 x 70 cm
Siegfried
Geresineerd karton
45 x 40 x 77 cm
The Kong, 2021
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
220 x 120 x 80 cm 86 5/8 x 47 1/4 x 31 1/2 in
The Lying Lion
Geresineerd karton
70 x 38 x 45 cm
The Lion Bas Relief
Geresineerd karton
60 x 40 x 150 cm
Symbiosis
Geresineerd karton
280 x 150 x 170 cm
Zu
Geresineerd karton
90 x 50 x 85 cm
Samourai in Kimono
Geresineerd karton (uniek exemplaar)
40 x 50 x 79 cm
Samourai in Armor
Geresineerd karton (uniek exemplaar)
33 x 50 x 76 cm
Nihon Saru, The Japanese Monkey
Geresineerd karton (uniek exemplaar)
42 x 35 x 55 cm
The Spartan, back from war
Karton en Epoxyhars: A Fusion of Texture and Resin
145 x 75 x 45 cm 57 1/8 x 29 1/2 x 17 3/4 in
Fishing Bear
Cardboard and resin (unique creation)
40 x 30 x 28 cm
Sitting Tiger
Bronze
30 x 30 x 35 cm