Robert
Olivier

Olivier Robert was born in 1981 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. He is very interested in art, perhaps by family tradition. Indeed, his ancestors include many painters, some of whom had international recognition, such as Leopold Robert (1794-1835). After obtaining a teaching diploma, he entered the Cantonal School of Art of Valais (ECAV) where he obtained a Bachelor degree in Visual Arts in 2010.

Olivier Robert has directed a short animated film entitled "Zapping" (2009), which retraces a moment in the life of a compulsive channel surfer. He has participated in various competitions and collective exhibitions. He took part in the installation "A Kaleidoscope of Nothingness" by the writer Dejan Gacond and the American photographer Kit Brown. In 2015 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, he created the visuals of a performance installation as part of the "Blaise Cendrars" exhibition. In 2015, Olivier Robert took the opportunity of travelling for several months in Asia to experiment with photography. Equipped with a camera and a road book, he documented his journey with around ten thousand photos and texts. Upon his return to Switzerland, he rethought and reorganised his practice of painting. Thus the use of photography and computer tools for image processing became a central aspect in the development of his works. From then on, his work became more legible and more assertive. In 2016, 2018 and 2021 he was selected to expose at the La Chaux-de-Fonds Biennal of Contemporary Art. Olivier Robert has directed two solo exhibitions and is part of the catalog of Neuchâtel artists (From NE with Love, 2018), edited by the QG (La Chaux-de-Fonds contemporary art space). In 2021, the museum of Le Locle selected one of his artistic projects and made a short video. In 2022, he is participating in a collaborative artistic experience aimed at reinterpreting a monumental work from the beginning of the 20th century. Finalist of the 16th edition of Arte Laguna Prize, Olivier Robert will have the chance to present one artwork in Venice in 2023.

Olivier Robert produces his paintings using his photographic repertoire as raw material, which he decontextualizes using digital tools. Like a collage, he “cuts” details from his own photographs which he reinterprets by copying and pasting them onto new compositions. These are printed and then faithfully copied with acrylic paint on the canvas. Inspired by current events, Olivier Robert has often dealt with themes related to ecology, in particular the Anthropocene.