Artist Creates 8-Foot Coral Reef Entirely From Cardboard

Cardboard coral reef by Josh Gluckstein

After opening up a package, most of us break down the cardboard box and bring it to the recycling bin, but not Josh Gluckstein. This London-based artist uses the material to create incredible sculptures of wildlife, transforming the brown stiff paper into animals like giraffes, lions, and gorillas. Most recently, he's pushed himself to complete his most ambitious project to date—an 8-foot-tall cardboard coral reef filled with over 50 different species of animals.

Gluckstein has been documenting the entire creative process on Instagram and TikTok, with 10 videos leading to the final reveal. From colorful coral to giant sea turtles, an octopus, and a spotted blue ray, the sculpture is a meticulous look at life underwater. According to the artist, it “celebrates the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans while raising awareness for the fragility of and challenges facing our marine life.”

Created for Homo Faber, a month-long exhibition in Venice that celebrates modern artisans, the sculpture was a creative challenge for Gluckstein, who used to work as a freelance prop maker. In order to create the necessary textures for the reef, he turned to different types of cardboard.

“To create my coral reef, I really needed to expand my search and ended up making friends with my local greengrocers and supermarket staff to collect hundreds of fruit trays to create the rocks and colored cardboard to represent the bright colors of the fish,” he tells My Modern Met. “That's the beauty of cardboard—it's so widely used, and you can find it anywhere if you keep your eyes open.”

His videos give a fascinating glimpse at how he manipulates the cardboard. We watch as he shapes and molds individual pieces of coral, which come to life when painted and placed on the reef. Next are the animals, including eels, different fish, and an octopus. As each one is added to the reef, the sculpture takes on an immersive quality and becomes a 360-degree experience.

So rich in detail, it's difficult to choose a favorite part of the reef, but Gluckstein does have his personal selection. “The cardboard straw anemone and clown fish,” he confesses. “I love the simplicity of the cardboard straws representing the anemone, and also the subtle message about the threat of plastic waste in the ocean and the difference we can make by making more sustainable choices.”

Now, as his work is on its way to Venice, he hopes that his reef will remind people of the ocean's magical beauty and show the incredible creative possibilities of cardboard.

To celebrate his commitment to ocean conservation, Gluckstein is donating 10% of the proceeds from this special piece to the charity Oceana, which works to protect and restore the world’s oceans globally.

Anyone wishing to view the piece in person will want to visit Homo Faber, which is taking place across Venice, Italy, for the entire month of September.

Cardboard artist Josh Gluckstein has created his most ambitious sculpture yet—an 8-foot-tall coral reef.

The sculpture includes over 50 marine species, including sea turtles, an octopus, and a blue spotted ray.

@joshglucksteinartist How I make my cardboard turtles ♻️ Which process video would you like to see next? #Turtle #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #sustainableartist #viralreels #fyp #foryoupage #artinspo #art #wildlifeart #animalart #animalsculpture #sculptureartist #seaturtle ♬ origineel geluid – hanna

Gluckstein detailed his creative process with a series of behind-the-scenes videos.

@joshglucksteinartist Part 2: Making a 2.5metre Cardboard CORAL REEF ♻️ Using supermarket cardboard fruit trays ♻️ What do you guys think? I'll be dropping a new process video every week so you can watch as the piece comes to life. #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #oceanart #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife #fyp #fypage #viralreels #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #tiktokart #artinspo #art #wildlifeart #paperart #interiordesign #artforsale #reels ♬ Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay

@joshglucksteinartist Part 4: Octopus Making a 2.5metre Cardboard CORAL REEF ♻️ Scuba diving has been my favourite wildlife experience to date, it's always an explosion of life and colour, and I love the feeling of entering into another world With this piece, I really wanted to capture the feeling of being immersed in a thriving underwater ecosystem I'll be dropping a new process video every week so you can watch as the piece comes to life. ♻️ #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #Octopus #secretsoftheoctopus #oceanart #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife #fyp #fypage #viralreels #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #artstudio #tiktokart #artinspo #art #natgeotravel #sculptorsofinstagram #wildlifeart #conservationartist #paperart #interiordesign #reels ♬ Soso – Kabusa Oriental Choir

@joshglucksteinartist Part 5: Moray Eels Making a 2.5metre Cardboard CORAL REEF ♻️ I'll be dropping a new process video every week so you can watch as the piece comes to life. ♻️ #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #morayeel #octopus #oceanart #fyp #fypage #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife #viralreels #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #artstudio #tiktokart #artinspo #art #natgeotravel #wildlifeart #paperart #interiordesign #reels ♬ Electric Feel – MGMT

@joshglucksteinartist Part 8: Green Turtles Making a 2.5metre Cardboard CORAL REEF ♻️ What do you think of the reef so far? ♻️ #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #greenturtle #turtle #coralreef #oceanart #fyp #jellyfish #fypage #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife #viralreels #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #artstudio #tiktokart #artinspo #art #wildlifeart #paperart #interiordesign #reels ♬ Paradise – Coldplay

@joshglucksteinartist Part 9: Sea Creatures Making a 2.5metre Cardboard CORAL REEF ♻️ It's bittersweet to be getting towards the end of the reef… Final Part 10 will be released next week! ♻️ #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #tropicalfish #turtle #coralreef #oceanart #fyp #jellyfish #fypage #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife ##tiktokart #tiktokartist #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #artstudio #artinspo #art #sculptorsofinstagram #wildlifeart #paperart #interiordesign ♬ misses – Dominic Fike

@joshglucksteinartist COMPLETED Cardboard Coral Reef ✨️ Five months of work and my coral reef is now complete and on its way to Venice! #cardboardcoralreef #recycledart #cardboardsculpture #tropicalfish #turtle #coralreef #oceanart #fyp #jellyfish #fypage #oceanconservation #marine #reef #oceanwildlife #oceanlover #scubadiving #coral #marinelife ##tiktokart #tiktokartist #cardboardart #cardboardcreations #artstudio #artinspo #art #sculptorsofinstagram #wildlifeart #paperart #interiordesign ♬ Sunshine (feat. Dan Harkna) (Extended Mix) – TIEKS