Olivier Bertrand designs and publishes page-based objects.
His research into publishing focuses on appropriation and hacking the leftover from industrial production. With similar mindset, he runs a publishing house called Surfaces Utiles. Since 2015, he has edited La Perruque, a 90 centimetre long magazine printed in the margins of regular documents, and publishing nonstandard type specimens.
He has designed and/or edited some books including Publi Fluor, Letter Business in Brussels, the essential How to Survive After Art School?, Baukunst monograph, a glossary for the use of asthenic villains, the fictional biography of Stéphane Mandelbaum, a book-pendulum, the last misdeeds of Maxime Le Bon, Le Gamin, SPEED, two bricks, Armand Schwerner’s Tablettes, Pierre Leguillon's Légende punaisée dans le ciel, Dieter Roth au Frac Bretagne, Adelheid Duvanel’s monads, The Space in Between, Landing Gardens catalogue, Quaderni magazine, an issue of Camera, other poetry books.
He contributed to the Not Comic typeface and designed Pogge,inspired by Carolingian minuscule.
In parallel with his design and publishing activities, he teaches typography and editorial design at ESA Le 75, Brussels.
He also wrote Froncer les sourcils(.pdf), a critical essay about the economy of contemporary publishing practices, and Les clôtures du paradis, a walk from enclosed gardens to illuminated pages.
Olivier Bertrand designs and publishes page-based objects.
His research into publishing focuses on appropriation and hacking the leftover from industrial production. With similar mindset, he runs a publishing house called Surfaces Utiles. Since 2015, he has edited La Perruque, a 90 centimetre long magazine printed in the margins of regular documents, and publishing nonstandard type specimens.
He has designed and/or edited some books including Publi Fluor, Letter Business in Brussels, the essential How to Survive After Art School?, Baukunst monograph, a glossary for the use of asthenic villains, the fictional biography of Stéphane Mandelbaum, A Few Homers, the last misdeeds of Maxime Le Bon, Le Gamin, SPEED, two bricks, Armand Schwerner’s Tablettes, Pierre Leguillon's Légende punaisée dans le ciel, Dieter Roth au Frac Bretagne, Adelheid Duvanel’s monads, The Space in Between, Landing Gardens catalogue, Quaderni magazine, an issue of Camera, other poetry books, and a medievalist typeface.
In parallel with his design and publishing activities, he teaches typography and editorial design at ESA Le 75, Brussels.
He also wrote Froncer les sourcils(.pdf), a critical essay about the economy of contemporary publishing practices, and Les clôtures du paradis, a walk from enclosed gardens to illuminated pages.
Olivier Bertrand
contact@olivierbertrand.com
+32 (0) 484 30 65 94
Meyboom Artist-Run Spaces
Rue Lambert Crickx 17
1070 – Brussels [BE]
Exhibitions
2024–2025 · Sous couverture : les stratégies éditoriales de Surfaces Utiles, ésam, Caen.
2024 · Library of Artistic Print on Demand, group exhibition curated by Annette Gilbert and Andreas Bülhoff, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich.
2023 · DESIGN-A-BOOK, group exhibition, Wittockiana, Brussels.
2022 · La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #4, École de recherche graphique, Brussels.
2019 · Even Smaller, Even Better, group exhibition, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2019 · La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #3, Maison du livre, Brussels.
2018 · One Piece at a Time: les arts tactiques au travail, Cabinet du livre d’artiste, Rennes.
2018 · L’occasion fait le larron, Surfaces Utiles and Pierre Martel, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2018 · Les Nouveaux objets, Reciprocity triennale, design and social innovation, Espace St-Antoine, Liège.
2018 · Ce n’est pas la taille qui compte, group exhibition, MABA, Nogent-sur-Marne.
2018 · The Smaller The Better, group exhibition, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2017 · Prix de la gravure et de l'image imprimée, group exhibition, Centre de la gravure, La Louvière.
2017 · La/Le Boîte N°31, group exhibition curated by Pierre Leguillon with Ivo Denicolaï & Simona Provoost, Saskia Gevaert and (SIC) in Marie-Ange Guilleminot's bouquiniste-box, Paris.
2017 · Surfaces Utiles, installation during WIELS Art Book Fair, WIELS, Brussels.
2017 · La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #2, Atelier Bek, 2017, Brussels.
2016 · European Maker Week, group exhibition, iMAL, Brussels.
2016 · La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #1, Atelier Bek, Brussels.
2014 · Du design graphique au FRAC Bretagne, entretiens, ÉESAB, Rennes.
2014 · Brassaï/Brașov, a proposal by George Dupin and Olivier Lebrun, Institut français de Cluj & Alliance française de Brașov, Brașov.
Teaching
2024 · festival publiek> éditer et publier en pratique, with David Le Simple, Michela Sachetto and Francesca Valentini, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
2021–2022 · Laboratoire de recherche-création Crickx, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
Since 2019 · Editorial Design & Typography, BA Graphic Design, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
2016–2017 · Typography (teaching assistant), MA Graphic Design, erg, Brussels.
Workshops
2023 · Resharpening Blobby, with Publi Fluor research group, Ultradependent Public School, BAK, Utrecht.
2022 · Publi Fluor, lettres autocollantes, Laboratoire de recherche Crickx, Spec, Brussels.
2022 · Not Comic Sans type specimen, La Perruque type magazine, ArBA ESA, Brussels.
2022 · Écrire l’espace (v.2) with Alexandre Liziard, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2021 · Exemplaires, with Saskia Gevaert & Alexia De Visscher, La Cambre, Brussels.
2021 · Dear Vilches, with Carlo Goncalves & François Vliebergh, Faculté d'Architecture La Cambre Horta, Brussels.
2020 · Écrire l’espace (v.1) with Alexandre Liziard, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2020 · Nonstandard type specimens, Fig. Festival, Liège.
2019 · Mesdames et messieurs, nous sommes pauvres, pas riches, erg, Brussels.
2019 · Dérive photographique, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2019 · Économique & numérique, with Stéphanie Vilayphiou and Diego Thielemans, erg, Brussels.
2018 · Promotion d’un caractère typographique, La Cambre, Brussels.
2018 · Lieux communs, ESA le75, Brussels.
Public Lectures
2024 · Sous couverture : les stratégies éditoriales de Surfaces Utiles, Impressions Multiples #13, ésam, Caen.
2024 · Publi Fluor with David Le Simple, TRANSAT GRAPHIQUE festival, Fig. and ÉSAC, Les Brasseurs, Liège.
2024 · Tu me fais me sentir (très très réel): Publi Fluor, une typographie orientée with Nathan Izbicki, David Le Simple and Ludi Loiseau, Brussels Ass Book Fair, KANAL Centre Pompidou, Brussels.
2024 · You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) with David Le Simple, Paris Ass Book Fair, Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
2024 · Éco-conception dans la production de livres, de quoi parle t-on? conversation with Mediagraphic and La Cabane Bleue, “Écologie du livre et de la lecture” seminar, Mobilis and BUT Métiers du livre de La Roche-sur-Yon – Université de Nantes, La Roche-sur-Yon.
2024 · L'occasion fait le larron, Biennale Exemplaires, Formes et pratiques de l'édition, ÉSAD, Valence.
2023 · Les clôtures du paradis, “À la marge” seminar, Institut Page, ÉSAL, Metz.
2023 · Emil Lime, with Esther Gatón, WIELS, Brussels.
2021 · Books by Maxime Le Bon, conversation with Maxime Le Bon, WIELS, Brussels.
2021 · Croître ou ne pas croître, ÉSAC, Cambrai.
2020 · Comment survivre après l'école d'art, ésam, Caen.
2019 · Publish on the side, P-A-G-E-S, HEAD, Geneva.
2019 · Les banquiers aiment parler d’art, les artistes aiment parler d’argent, during “Économies/Interstices” seminar, erg, Brussels.
2019 · Livresse, typography round-table discussion, Vecteur, Charleroi.
2019 · Introduction to typography, ESA le 75 (BA Photography), Brussels.
2018 · Publier en douce, in the exhibition “One Piece at a Time : Les arts tactiques au travail”, Cabinet du livre d’artiste, Rennes.
2016 · Faire une perruque, La Perruque Typographic Talks #1, Atelier Bek, Brussels.
2015 · Du design au Frac Bretagne, “Le commanditaire, le graphiste et l’imprimeur” seminar, Frac Bretagne, Rennes.
Writings
2024 · “Verso↔Recto” & “Dessine-moi un vélo”, in Publi Fluor, Affaires de lettres à Bruxelles | Letterzaken in Brussel | Letter Business in Brussels, Surfaces Utiles, Brussels.
2018 · c'est beau un bit, pictography afterword to Armand Schwerner's “Tablettes”, Vies Parallèles, Brussels.
2017 · Les clôtures du paradis, Surfaces Utiles, Brussels.
2017 · “no drama house”, une composition typographique, self-published.
2017 · Froncer les sourcils, master thesis under the supervision of Camille Pageard, erg, Brussels.
Jurys
2024 · MA Typography, La Cambre, Brussels.
2024 · MA Book and paper design, La Cambre, Brussels.
2022 · MA Design and politics of the multiple, erg, Brussels.
2021 · MA Typography, La Cambre, Brussels.
2021 · MA Book and paper design, La Cambre, Brussels.
2020 · CASO du Livre, La Cambre, Brussels.
2018 · MA Editorial Practices, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.
2018 · Book art and publishing workshop, Académie de Molenbeek, Brussels.
Credits:
Page escaping from a book thanks to Maxime Le Bon.