Anne Valerie Dupond Bestioles BE@RBRICK

Artist Bio
Anne Valerie Dupond

Anne Valerie Dupond, born in 1976, studied at Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg,
and obtained her Master’s degree in Fine Arts in 2000.

Since 2001, Dupond has worked with different galleries in France, USA or Japan.
Not only has Dupond’s work been exported around the world,

but she has collaborated on numerous high profile projects, including fashion houses such as Kenzo,
Undercover, Le Printemps, Comme des Garçons, Y’s, MEDICOM TOY ...

“My work is making sculptures with fabrics. I’m working simply with recovered fabrics,needle and thread. I try to create a world crafted from sensitivity, ranging from the bestial
(hunting trophies and animals of all kinds) to human representations such as busts of historic figures,

pin-ups, and baroque sculpture. Whatever the representation,
I like to approach the female/male duality with humor, playfully caricaturizing the stereotypes.”

Anne Valerie Dupond currently lives and works in France,
and is represented by Gallery De Room 702 in Japan.

Artist Statement

I am very excited to be exhibiting at MEDICOM TOY, as it fulfills a childhood dream.

I wanted to make plushes and turn it into my profession. That's how I became an artist.

Exhibiting at MEDICOM TOY, the world's largest art toy designer, is a crowning achievement for me.

I am presenting what I have been doing ever since I created my first plush over 25 years ago: animals.

I am also presenting a new collection of BE@RBRICK, inspired by my usual bestiary.

I play around transforming BE@RBRICK into animals, but they remain very recognizable.

I really like this idea of fusion.

I have transferred all the affection and humor that I put into each of my stuffed animals onto this cult object.

I am showing a whole gallery of characters that I hope will inspire a lot of sympathy.

There are all kinds of animals, from the wildest to the most familiar.
Each one can be associated with a human characteristic.
It's a matter of recognizing the one that resembles us the most.
Some can be pinned to a jacket to keep you company.

The small flower brooches pay homage to the sumptuous floral installations at MEDICOM TOY events.

I hope you find in this exhibition the joyful, tender, and playful spirit I wanted to express.