St George’s Day celebrated with 3m-high cardboard statue

A magnificent 3m-high statue of St George slaying the dragon has been pieced together using cardboard boxes and glue.

British artist Chris Gilmour created his work “The Triumph of Good and Evil” by using discarded rubbish he picked up from the streets of Udine, Italy, where he is based.

It took two months for the Stockport-born artist to build the life-size depiction of the patron saint of England.

He said: “The boxes used are all ones I have picked up off the streets as they have a weekly recycling collection for the shops here in Italy.

“The coloured bits are mainly from cigarette cartons- the saddle of St George has “Lucky Strike” written across it for instance.

"Whilst it is often called "St George" the title of the work is actually "the Triumph of Good and Evil", and the work is a consideration of the idea of polarising, or simplifying the concept of right and wrong and the idea that "evil" can be defeated by heroic combat.

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"Making the statue of this great hero out of a material which is fragile and will eventually decay is an invitation to reflect on the equally fragile nature of our certainties."

The work will be displayed in New York's Christopher Henry gallery on 10 May, alongside some of his other cardboard creations which include life-size replicas of a typewriter and an Aston Martin.