De Natura Rerum

Books

Erwan Boulloud

2023
Description
French designer and sculptor, Erwan Boulloud explores, through his creations, the multiple possibilities offered by the material, whether mineral or vegetal – stone, metal, glass, wood, concrete… – polished or raw. The title of the book De natura rerum (On the Nature of Things), inspired by a poem by the Latin philosopher Lucretius, testifies to the anchoring of his work in nature and natural phenomena. The artist combines craftsmanship and high technicality, thus reflecting his taste for the random, the accidental, to the point of “manhandling” his objects, which would easily find their place in mysterious cabinets of curiosities.

Conceived as a rare album, this first monograph of the artist reveals the different facets of his work. It is punctuated with inserts evoking the various sources of scientific and artistic inspiration, offering the reader an imaginary cartography of the artist’s universe.

The book includes an essay by design theorist Sophie Fétro, who contextualizes his work in the history of the concept of the marvelous in the arts, and an interview with the artist conducted by art critic Natacha Wolinski. This monograph immerses the reader in the strange and wonderful world of Erwan Boulloud.

Published by Atelier EXB.
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About the artists
Erwan Boulloud - Galerie Negropontes
Erwan Boulloud

Erwan Boulloud is a graduate of the Ecole Boulle. He began by collaborating with a number of designers, while simultaneously staging scenographies for various museums including the Louvre. In 2003 he set up his own workshop, where he creates unique or limited numbered pieces. He works with a wide range of materials, exploiting the uniqueness of each in relation to the other. The materials are raw, at times burnt, polished or peeled. Minerals meet flora; metal, wood or concrete enclose precious stones, in creations where strangeness meets humour. Erwan Boulloud is the heir of a time-honoured tradition of craftsmanship, a participant of the ever-evolving narrative of the decorative arts. His works are always functional, their mechanism often visible to remind us of the origins of their creation. Always holding a story, they offer surprises and wonderment.

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