Matéo Crémades
Parchment sculptor
Self-taught, Matéo Crémades is one of the rare craftsmen to master the ancient know-how of sculpture on parchment inherited from the master European luthiers of the 16th and 17th centuries. Using a scalpel and leather punches, he sculpts sheets of goatskin parchment that he superimposes to create complex and refined rosettes that adorn ancient instruments such as the harpsichord, the lute or the baroque guitar.
His research about parchment sculpture led him to reinterpret this ancient know-how and to create a series of contemporary pieces that question our relationship to ornament and miniature as intermediaries between spectator and work of art.
Through his creations, Matéo Crémades seeks to convey a part of this meditative state that inhabits him during the creative process. Thus, the parchment rosettes and landscapes that make up his works become an invitation to introspection and escape.
Exhibitions
2026 "An Island of Light" - Homo Faber Biennale - Fondazione Giorgio Cini - Venice - Italy
2025 "Winner Exhibition" - Cheongju Craft Biennale - Culture Factory - Cheongju - South Korea
"Interwoven" - Homo faber Capsule Exhibition - Real Fábrica de Artillería - Seville - Spain
"The Homiens Art Prize" - Homiens Gallery - Online exhibition - New-York - United-States
2024 "Maestria" - Be Craft: The European Prize for Applied Arts - Anciens Abattoirs - Mons - Belgium
2023 "Pop's Arts" - Paris Design Week - Galerie By Chatel - Paris - France
"Winner Exhibition" - Cheongju Craft Biennale - Culture Factory - Cheongju - South Korea
"International Contest of Contemporary Art" - Yicca Prize - Galerie Imagoars - Venice - Italy
2022 "Craft Visions" - 5th Kanazawa Kogei Triennial - 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art - Kanazawa - Japan
2021 "Matières à l'œuvre - matière à penser, manières de faire" - Galerie des Gobelins du Mobilier National - Paris - France
"Métamorphoses" - Pôle des Métiers d'Art du Pays Ségali - Sauveterre-de-Rouergue - France
2019 "RenaissanceS" - Chambre des métiers et de l'artisanat - Convention Center - Tours - France
National Competition Exhibition - Ateliers d'Art de France - Carrousel du Louvre - Paris - France
Regional Competition Exhibition - Ateliers d'Art de France - Parvis des Métiers d'Art - Bourges - France
2018 "Carte Blanche" - Chambre des métiers et de l'artisanat - Convention Center - Orléans - France
Awards, Grants and Distinctions
2026 Winner - Grant awarded by the Virginia A. Groot Foundation - Honorable Mention - United-States
2025 Winner - Silver Prize - Cheongju International Crafts Competition - Cheongju - South Korea
Finalist - Homiens Art Prize International Contemporary Art Competition - New-York - United-States
2024 Winner - "Artistic Research Time" grant awarded by ADAGP - France
2023 Winner - Honorable Mention - Cheongju International Arts and Crafts Competition - Cheongju - South Korea
Finalist - Yicca Prize International Contemporary Art Competition - Venice - Italy
2022 Finalist - 5th Kogei Triennial International Competition- Kanazawa - Japan
2021 Winner - Grant awarded by the Banque Populaire Foundation– Finecraft Category - France
2019 Winner - National Award - Ateliers d'Art de France’s National Competition - Heritage Category - France
Winner - County Award - Ateliers d'Art de France’s National Competition - Heritage Category - France
Winner - County Award - Touraine Métiers d'Art’s prize – France
2018 Winner - Super Tremplin Garance – Chartres - France
Winner - Jury's Choice Award - Fine Crafts Fair - Orléans - France
Winner - People's Choice Award - Fine Crafts Fair - Montbazon - France
2017 Winner - People's Choice Award - Fine Crafts Fair - Ballan-Miré - France
Acquisitions, museums, institutions
2025 "Intermediaries #4" - Cheongju Craft Biennale Collection - South Korea
"Intermediaries #2" - Cheongju Craft Biennale Collection - South Korea
"Intermediaries #1" - Cheongju Craft Biennale Collection - South Korea
2023 "Le printans" - Académie Musicale de Villecroze- France
"Intermediaries #3" - Musée du Pôle des Métiers d'Art du Pays Ségali - France
2022 "Ocre-Mer" - Sentier d'art de Sauveterre-de-Rouergue - France