Ale Rambar's World Is Made of Paper

This Costa Rican architect and visual artist creates layered sculptures of portraits and human bodies.

Ale Rambar (@alerambar) is a Costa Rican artist whose work is based on the topographic analysis of the human body. If you have ever seen a topographical 3D map, the kind architects use when creating the model of a building, you'll find his three-dimensional compositions made with layers of paper incredibly familiar, yet mesmerizing. Each piece is cut and assembled layer by layer, creating incredibly detailed scenes and portraits full of meaning.

Topographies (2016)

Topographies was Rambar’s first collection of layered sculptures made of paper. This innovative technique was inspired by his architecture studies.

“After analyzing kilometers of topography, I began to remember how as a child, I imagined how the mountains of the Braulio Carrillo National Park had the shape of human figures. I then began to generate topographical studies using human beings instead of terrains,“ Rambar explains.

Limón (2017)

A nostalgic look at Costa Rica’s Caribbean province, inspired by Rambar's memories as a child and featuring he type of construction that characterizes this region in striking and calming shades of blues, reds, greens, and yellows.

Tolerance (2018)

Tolerance focuses on Costa Ricans, on issues of gender, sexism, and sexual diversity, and especially addresses the challenges surrounding the upbringing of a queer person. It is made using only blue, pink, and yellow, the colors most used to represent the masculine, feminine or neutral genres.

Liberties (2019)

An exploration of machismo and discrimination, in this collection Rambar allows himself to explore unknown materials, techniques, and processes, to make works that represent human bodies, desires, and emotions.

"I made several works that will resonate with people who have ever felt discriminated against because of their nature as human beings. They are works that speak of pride, sadness, and internal struggle", says Rambar.

Chasing Pearls (2019)

His most recent work, Chasing Pearls is a study on the life ideals of a queer person using paper but also pearls.

If you want to learn how to create these sculptures you can do so in Ale Ramabr's course 3D Portraits with Paper Layers at Domestika. He will teach you how to calculate each layer, cut it, assemble it and paint it to create three- dimensional models, lettering, illustrations, and works of art using paper as the main material.

You may also like:

- Papercut: Illustrating with Layers of Paper, a course by José Antonio Roda Martinez
- Lettering with Volume, a course by Lobulo
- How to Make a Paper Cut Out Effect in Adobe Photoshop