Herrel was born in 1971 into a Norman family. As a somewhat distracted child, he discovered a passion for volumetric drawing at a very young age—an activity that allowed him to overcome concentration issues. During this time, he created his very first sculptural works using chalk collected from his primary school or stones picked up during walks.

After working as a graphic designer until 1999, Herrel was appointed as Artistic Director at the famous French media group TF1, a position he held for nearly fifteen years.

In 2011, tired of the ephemeral nature of the industry in which he worked and the limited space given to creativity, Herrel decided to reconnect with his childhood dreams. He then spent most of his free time practicing sculpture. “Later” would be the title of his first-born, a marble sculpture carved with a wood chisel representing the artist as he imagines himself 30 years later: a surprising self-portrait that reveals his lifelong vocation and innate talent.

The year 2014 was particularly decisive for the sculptor, as he decided to leave his professional activity to devote himself fully and exclusively to sculpture. His first exhibition took place a year later.

Roots are one of the most recurring motifs in Herrel’s works. Often the focal point of the composition, they invoke the visceral connection that ties us to the Earth, to our deep nature. Frozen in the mineral, they aspire to be reconciling, teaching us to reconnect, to establish a new unity, a new benevolent ecosystem.

Herrel’s studio is currently located in the Alpilles, where he produces tirelessly. His works, exhibited in numerous European galleries, have since joined private as well as public collections. In 2020, one of his works titled “Co-existence” was selected to join the collection of the first European underwater museum (Underwater Museum of Marseille), aimed at raising public awareness of the fragility of the marine ecosystem. Created in monumental format using neutral pH marine cement, it was submerged at a depth of 5 meters off the coast of Catalans Beach and near the MUCEM in Marseille. Acting as an artificial reef designed to shelter marine fauna and flora, “Co-existence” depicts a building grappling with a tree whose roots seem to both engulf and protect, like a case. A powerful work with a message in which Nature reclaims its rights, aiming to reconcile us with this ancestral link to the Earth and calling for the benevolent preservation of each of its links. A beautiful project in line with the artist’s profound values.

“Co-existence evokes the disconnection between nature and our modern societies above ground. If the planet does not need to be saved, it is indeed the survival of humanity that hangs in the balance.

The tree canopy was designed so that once in the water, the flora would create its own foliage and give the impression that a tree has truly grown underwater. The marine environment is an unusual place that we do not control; “Co-existence” will come to life and escape the hand of man.

The canopy is also hollow and perforated to allow aquatic fauna to take refuge and serve as a nursery.”

Herrel, Co-existence