Biography

An “industrial sculptor.” That’s how Cuban-American artist René Barba describes his artistic self. Barba’s creations include plant-like sculptures as well as pieces that evoke human-like creatures emerging from nature. He wants the spectator to become one with the sculpture, to create their own composition and interact with the piece. “I leave the spectator to his imagination,” Barba says. He’s inspired, he says, “by an imaginary world in which humans and nature are one.”

Barba, who lives and works in Paris, studied art and industrial design at L’ecole Supérieur des Arts Décoratifs Paris, and began his career in industrial design with a focus on furniture and objects. His first sculptural designs—“functional sculptures,” he likes to call them—were presented in Miami in 1988. He moved to Paris in the early-1990s, a period in which he had numerous painting exhibitions in the city.

Barba is continuously creating, whether it’s figurative abstract paintings or those aforementioned sculptures, working with bronze, ceramic and wood. “I love the longevity of materials,” says Barba. His whimsical pieces aim to surprise and amaze, creating a world where humans dance with nature. “In this world of illusion, this is my reality,” Barba says.