Curatorial text

Laurent Martin "Lo" (France, 1955) is not a sculptor. He is a bamboo lover. His journey began not with the ambition to make art, but with the discovery of a material that would reshape his entire life. While working on an interior architecture project in Barcelona, he encountered bamboo—its surprising strength, flexibility, and organic particularities. That moment of revelation marked the beginning of a lifelong dialogue. Bamboo spoke to him through its fibres, its resistance, its grace. "Lo" found in bamboo not just a material, but a philosophy.

For over two decades, he has followed its trail from Barcelona to the rainforests of Asia, to Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, and beyond. In each locality, he studied with master craftsmen, absorbing the ancient wisdoms that see bamboo not merely as a utility, but as a spiritual entity. Bamboo, as the artist understands it, is not inert. It is alive. It bends without breaking, stretches toward the sky with elegant determination, and reminds us that balance is not stillness, but motion.

For "Lo", working with bamboo is like a ritual; he listens with his hands. Each shoot he splits, studies, and guides becomes part of a larger choreography, a search for balance not just in structure, but in life itself. At the heart of this project are the seven virtues of bamboo: spirituality, which connects us to something greater than ourselves; lightness, found both in its physical characteristics and its appearance; equilibrium, the capacity for balance; flexibility, its ability to bend without breaking; sensuality, the tactile and visual appeal of the material; strength, hidden in its hollow core and its capacity to regenerate over and over again; and energy, the vital force that its fibres are made of.

"Lo"'s creative process is unique and deeply intuitive:

My process is to take a piece of bamboo, begin to split it, work on it, study its fibre and through this, let's say, manual and sensitive process, I then understand the bamboo that I am working with and lead it, by knowing it, toward balance, movement. And it tells me a lot, because each bamboo is going to have its own resistance, its flexibility... And moving forward with it, it genuinely is like a dialogue, as the spaces and balances that I am working on are formed.

He does not start with a predefined concept, but rather allows the bamboo to guide him. This manual and sensitive approach allows him to create structures that are balanced and in motion, creating works that are aesthetically impressive. The aesthetics are always the result, not the aim, of this search for balance.

In 2025, the skies offer a rare spectacle: a planetary alignment. In this exhibition, Bamboo Planet, the artist draws our gaze upward. Just as bamboo rises in a single, unbroken line, so too does our imagination, especially in a moment when several planets appear to align in the sky from our earthly perspective. Humans have always looked for answers in the sky: a mirror for life on Earth, a layer of meaning added to our terrestrial experience, and a map for life itself. In all cultures, the firmament plays a role — ranging from creation myths to divination, and from guiding agricultural cycles to precise navigation.

In this exhibition at the Museo Evaristo Valle, "Lo" explores not only the earthly virtues of bamboo but also lifts our gaze skyward, into the cosmos. He asks us to consider bamboo as more than a material; it is a guidepost, a vertical axis pointing us toward the stars.

The exhibition unfolds like a planetarium: at its core is a kinetic central piece, rotating like a telescope in search of distant constellations. Around it, orbiting works form a galaxy of forms, evoking rings, satellites, and mythic imagery. Outside, there is a Phoenix, the symbol of rebirth and endurance, echoing bamboo's regenerative and sustainable nature.

The exhibition, spanning several interior and exterior spaces, includes some retrospective and iconic pieces from "Lo"'s oeuvre. The emphasis here, however, is on this new, celestial direction. Once again, the simplicity of the lines, counterweights, and volumes created invites us to see bamboo as a timeless witness — one that existed before us and will continue long after we are gone.

The work of Laurent Martin "Lo" has been exhibited internationally in institutions such as Museu Can Mario, Fundación Vila Casas, and 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, as well as at fairs like Art Basel Hong Kong, Frieze Seoul, Art Paris, KIAF Seoul, Art Central, and Art Rotterdam. He has collaborated with the Fondation Cartier and is represented by galleries such as Alzueta Gallery (Barcelona) and Le Sentiment des Choses (Paris). His sculptures are part of numerous public and private collections, including the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, Koo House Museum of Art and Design (South Korea), and Fundació Vila Casas (Barcelona).