10 things about: French wire sculptor Matthieu Robert-Ortis

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2016/08/14/10-things-about-french-wire-sculptor-matthieu-robert-
ortis/1182845

Published 2 years ago on 14 August 2016

By Opalyn Mok

Picture by K.E. Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 14 — Wire sculptures are a common medium used by an increasing number
of artists but there is nothing quite like the unique wire art by Matthieu Robert-Ortis.

The French sculptor, who only started showing his work three years ago, creates wire sculptures
that are what he called, anamorphose or metamorphose.

Unlike normal wire sculptures, his works appear to look like an animal at one angle and morphs
into another animal at another angle.

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The 26-year-old has had more than 84 million Facebook views of his most popular work The
Revolution of Giraffes which is a sculpture of an elephant from one side and two giraffes from
another.

He was in Penang recently to install two of his wire sculptures in conjunction with George Town
Festival at Dewan Sri Pinang.

His works, The Revolution of Giraffes and The King of Drones, will be on display during
performance evenings at Dewan Sri Pinang. The Revolution of Giraffes is sponsored by George
Town Heritage Hotels.

Here, the artist shares his art journey from rapper to sculptor.

In his own words:

I started going into sculpture after art school in Lyon. I stopped my art school after two years
because the art they teach is conceptual and I don’t like the way it was taught. It was so
conceptual that you can put a cup on a table and stare at it for three hours and the professor is
okay with it. It was complicated for a young teenager like me. So I stopped.

I started out with drawing and painting. I did pen drawing and animation. I like drawing big
complicated, detailed cities. I once drew a picture for three years...I finished it in five years, it
is because it has a special perspective.

I love working with special perspective. I love to see things from a different perspective and I
like to see something in a different way. I still draw and paint now. It is serious work for me but
it is not something I do for exhibitions. I paint mostly for myself. It’s for me, like a hobby.

When I was small, I was interested in sports I played the piano and guitar and I love rock climbing
and slacklining. Slacklining is a popular sport in France, Germany and Spain. It is a young sport
and many people are doing it there. I was a rapper but then I found art to be mysterious. I find
art a mystery and I wanted to learn more about it, I wanted to know why and how people
create art. So, I went to take the preparation in art in Paris when I was 20 and then after that I
went to the art school in Lyon.

Although I still draw, I love to sculpt. Sculpting is my medium and I like to create anamorphose
and metamorphose. Anamorphose is a figuration and abstraction and metamorphose is a
figuration, abstraction and figuration. The artists that inspired me are George Rousse, Felice
Varini and Markus Raets.

My first sculpture was made from the trolley from a supermarket. When we take a trolley from
the supermarket, we need to put €1 in the slot to take it. Now, that €1 is in my signature. When

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I put MRO as my signature on my sculptures, I replace the O with a €1. The money is a symbol
for me that I got the metal from a trolley from a supermarket. It is also a symbol of the financial
problems faced by artists and the arts.

I used to make small pieces, some are my own face. My mother saw one of it and she went,
“Oh that’s my son” and asked me to give it to her. So I gave it to her. She displayed it at home
so when a friend saw the sculpture, she told me that I could have an exhibition of my
sculptures. So I listened to her and she helped arrange an exhibition of my work. That was three
years ago. Here I am today.

I have now created about 42 wire sculptures of 30 anamorphose and 12 metamorphose. I have
made the man-crab, elephant-giraffe, octopus-kangaroo and drone-eagles. I started making the
metaphorphose only about nine months ago, some are larger pieces and some are smaller pieces.
Each piece will have a number on the pedestal. I usually make a small prototype first and if I like
the piece, I can create a big piece. From drawing, creation to finishing, it takes about one month
or two months to create a big piece. It will take between two to three weeks to create a small
piece but it also depends on what sculpture it is.

My creations are mostly made from my imagination. If I want to make something, I create it as
I was doodling on my notebook. One day, I will be drawing, doodling on a pad and if I saw
something I like, then I will think of how to create it. I will envision how to create it and that’s
where challenge comes it. I see it as a challenge to start creating something from something I
envisioned.

I can also make colourful wire sculptures. I have a piece with many colours, it’s material on metal
with brilliant colours. In these past three years, I’ve done seven exhibitions. I did not expect to
become so successful. I started art because I wanted the experience. I want to make a living as
an artist but most importantly, I also take it as a challenge. Now, Tim Burton wants me to create
a piece for his movie in September. After this, I will go back to France and create the piece for
Tim Burton.

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