The Anarchitecture of Sylvain Corentin

Sylvain Corentin is a self-taught artist living in the South of France. A former architect, he is constantly imagining and building fantastical constructions, which he fondly refers to as “Anarchitectures.” In his own words, his sculptures “build a bridge between the image of a utopian past and the reality of our future, to erase the contradictions that exist between these two concepts, with hopes that we find beauty in seeing the world as it exists now, without projections.”

Corentin’s work is meticulously constructed from found materials: wood, sticks, toothpicks, furniture spindles, bits of wire, string, plastic—whatever is at hand. His working process is completely improvisational, not unlike that of Miles Davis or John Coltrane, who he listens to voraciously. This intense labor and close work results in pieces that stand well over eight feet tall; painted a ghostly white, they are nothing less than attention grabbing.

Corentin is represented by New York’s Cavin-Morris Gallery, and was recently seen at the 2015 Outsider Art Fair. Corentin has been exhibited internationally in France, the UK, and the United States.

This video from 2011 shows Corentin in the process of constructing one of his towers.