Ambroise & Victor


A French artist duo that re-examines the boundaries between humans and living creatures through ink wash painting and colossal animal forms.

Works→

A New Constellation of Living Beings

Ambroise&Victor is a French artist duo whose work centers on contemporary drawing. Through their unique natural history-like worldview, meticulously depicting animals, plants, and minerals, they traverse cultures to re-examine the question of "how to perceive living things."

The two artists met in 2015, sparked by a carte blanche (free-form project) at the art space "Mains d'Œuvres" in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. The colossal ink wash elephant painting created then marked the starting point of their collaborative work. Since then, their expression has expanded freely beyond paper, into sculptures, tapestries, installations, and mobiles.

Viewers encountering their work are first captivated by its overwhelming scale and the universal appeal that transcends species. But upon closer inspection, the animals, which should be familiar, begin to emerge as somewhat surreal, intimate yet distant presences—inviting a unique experience.

"Cows, sheep, and pigs that should be familiar.
Beyond their forms, we want to show 'something' different
from the roles humans have arbitrarily assigned to them."

Philosophy of Creation

The duo's style contrasts sharply with the scientific gaze that reduces nature to numbers and data. While conducting careful observation and research, they approach their work with the perspective that even a single breath or a pebble contains its own universe. They depict unexpected pathways between plants, internal organs, and microscopic life forms, illustrating the intermingling of living beings in layers of detail that invite viewers to discover many things.

Underlying this approach is a deliberate unhurriedness. Moving in the opposite direction from contemporary production environments dominated by mass production and rapid consumption, they value taking ample time for wonder and contemplation, and the freedom to navigate between knowledge and imagination.

Technique — Gradations of Ink Wash

The works are created using the lavis technique (wash drawing) with ink wash (encre de Chine) inherited from China. By varying the dilution of ink with water, countless gradations from deep black to pure white are produced, lending depth and delicacy to the pieces. Characterized by extremely time-intensive manual work, such as spending 600 hours on a single cow drawing.

Perspective — Animistic View of Nature

Starting from the idea that every element possesses a soul, they re-examine nature by detaching it from its functions and roles. With a sensibility for wonder (émerveillement) as the driving force of their creation, their work centers on the idea that humans, too, are but small ecosystems existing within a network of countless lives, including the bacteria within their bodies.

About the Artists

Victor

Born October 10, 1990, in Grenoble

Obtained a national architecture diploma from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble (2014). Applies his perspective on space and structure to the forms of animals and the construction of narratives.

Ambroise

Born November 13, 1988, in Grenoble

Earned a master's degree in interactive system and object design from Strate College Paris (2012). Brings design concepts to the world of drawing.

"Intérieurs (Inner Life)"

A solo exhibition held at Labanque (a former Banque de France building), an art center in Béthune, Pas-de-Calais. The exhibition features an experiential structure that traces the cycle of life, accompanied by music from composer Thomas Vacquier, as visitors navigate rooms adorned with 19th-century Haussmannian decorations.


Room 1 | Time of Origins

A room painted in deep blue. Ink wash cows adorn the walls, a tapestry depicting two entwined snakes covers the floor, and ceramic eggs rest on the fireplace, ushering visitors into a world dominated by animals.


Room 2 | A Journey to Introspection

A gigantic bear drawing, stretching from floor to ceiling, greets visitors. This seamless single painting is a testament to the artists' refined technique, where they share the same brushstrokes.


Room 3 | Golden Age

Exhibiting a pig sculpture, their first venture into three-dimensional work, moving beyond paper. This room heralds the beginning of a new series—from two-dimensional to volumetric forms.


Room 4 | The Cycle of Rebirth

The final room, bathed in deep red. A mobile of bats, opening and closing their wings, serves as a symbolic presence. When their wings are closed, blooming plants appear; when open, scenes of decomposition, where fungi and scavengers transform death into life, are revealed. Adjacent to it, a work depicting a pangolin, mistakenly identified as a source of infection, quietly suggests the life that emerges after disaster.