There are late bloomers and then there is Laurent Martin. The sculptor—a sturdily built man with bushy brows that dance across his face— began his “artist’s life” at 50 years old. Before that, the first five decades had followed a fairly ordinary path: There was a successful career as a creative director and relocation from his native France to the sunnier climes of Barcelona. He had a son and a daily routine. Then he discovered bamboo. “It was a revelation, ” Martin recalls. After becoming intrigued by the interior architecture of Barcelona’s first sushi bar, he first split some bamboo to try to simulate its structure. He was immediately obsessed; in 2004, he left behind the “artificial world” of advertising and started life again, this time as a full-time artist. He has made a career of it ever since. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Twenty-Two Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 46 Puff Piece On inflatable art. Arts & Culture Issue 44 Hannah Traore The art world's next big thing is a gallerist. Arts & Culture Issue 43 The Sellout On the moral maze of art and money. Arts & Culture Issue 42 Dream House The rise of renderporn. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Olalekan Jeyifous On fantastical architecture and sci-fi Brooklyn. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Liana Finck The wobbly-lined cartoonist with a razor-sharp vision.
