BIO
Aude Franjou was born in 1975 and holds a degree in Art History. She also received specialized training in tapestry at the Duperré School of Applied Arts. Aude began showcasing her sculptural work in 2002, a creative endeavor born from her artistic exploration into the principles of vegetal growth.
Her educational background focused primarily on textile making, particularly “tapisserie en haute lisse,” or high-warp tapestry. Using thread as her preferred medium, Aude set out to mimic the natural construction principles of plants. Over time, she found the compulsion to create in three dimensions as essential as breathing. Although she originated from a tapestry-making background, she retained only the medium—thread—and most importantly, the gesture. Her art involves a gesture in perpetual motion, simultaneously constant and ever-changing.
Guided by a longing for repetition, her work evolved towards modular compositions, starting from the same point and expanding into infinite forms through association. As her research deepened, Aude recognized the need to explore plant fibers like linen and hemp. For her, the duality of these materials symbolized the perfect blend for her creations. The forms she conjures are crafted by wrapping raw linen fibers with a thread of linen, held together by the tension the thread provides. This meticulous process results in a unique, petrified matter that invites tactile engagement for full comprehension.
Contrary to what one might assume, the material is anything but static. It softens in warmth and hardens with the moisture of the night. At the end of the creative process, color serves as the final brushstroke to her creations, unveiling the volume like a signature.
CV
Solo Exhibitions
2013 Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Cheongju (Korea)
2012 Une Trinité Juponnante, Centre Culturel de la Sarthe – Vivoin (France)
2010 – 2011 Les Processionnaires, Musée de la Chartreuse – Douai (France)
2007 Fibrescences, Musée du textile, Cholet (France)
Group Exhibitions
2023 La promenade du collectionneur, Megeve (France)
2023 La promenade du collectionneur, Brussels (Belgium)
2018 Tissage/Tressage, Villa Datris, Fondation pour la sculptre contemporaine, L’Isle sur Sorge (France)
2017 Avoir la fibre, Musée du pays d’Ourthe-Ambleve (Belgium)
2016 Biennale d’Architecture, collaboration with Architecture Project, Venice (Italy)
2016 Linen Curiosity, collaboration with Master of Linen (France)
2014 La route des contes, Installation in Situ, La Celle Saint Cloue (France)
2013 Fil à Fil, espace culturel d’art contemporain, Domfront (France)
2013 Sculptour, Galerie Beukenhoff, Kluisbergen (Belgium)
2013 Sculptrices, Villa Datris, Fondation pour la Sculpture Contemporaine,
L’Isle sur la Sorgue (France)
2010 Galerie 6, Mandel, Paris (France)
2010 Hôtel HUGER, Cercle d’Art Contemporain, La Flèche (France)
2009 Galerie Collection by Atelier d’Art de France, Paris (France)
2008 Galerie Embargo, Paris (France)
2008 Carrefour des Arts, Avranches (France)
2007 Galerie Embargo, Paris (France)
2007 Galerie Collection by Atelier d’Art de France, Paris (France)
2007 Biennale du lin de Portneuf, Quebec (Canada)
2007 Festival du lin, Sotteville (France)
2007 Galerie Carte Blanche, Zurich (Switzerland)
2006 Jardin d’Art, rue de Grenelle, Paris (France)
2006 Festival des Jardins Métissés, Musée du Textile de Haute Alsace (France)
2005 Les Ephémères, Château-Landon(France)
2002 Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire (France)
Art Fairs
2023 Salon Révélations (Paris)
2023 COLLECT (London)
2009 COLLECT (London)
2008 SOFA (Chicago)
2007 SOFA (Chicago)
Collections
- Atelier d’Art de France
- ENEA Collection
- Private collections in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Malta, Korea, Canada and USA
Education
1996 Degree in Art History – Paris I
1998 Graduated from Métiers d’Art fibre et tapisserie, Ecole Supérieur d’Arts Appliqués Duperré, Paris
1999 Started working with linen