Skin Poems (Raw and Crude)

Born in 1976 in Brest (France) and a graduate of the École supérieure d’art de Bretagne (Quimper) and the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris, Morgane Tschiember lives and works near Paris.

Morgane Tschiember’s work transcends the boundaries between sculpture, painting and installation, and questions issues of perception — whether olfactory, sonic or visual — as much as metaphysical notions. The artist uses industrial and unconventional materials such as resin, wax, foam, glass and metal to transform them and create pieces that defy traditional norms of form and structure. Her works explore new mixtures of materials and manufacturing processes, subtly revealing the energy that runs through them. Through experimentation and pushing back the limits of the materials she uses, Morgane Tschiember lends them a certain sensuality.

The Skin Poems series is made up of twelve sheets of pink-tinged polyester foam, soaked in wax. The creative process comprises several stages, starting with the manufacture of the foam itself, followed by the drying of the sheets in the sun. This exposure to light, combined with the pressure exerted on the material as the artist moves over the surface of the work, creates veins on the surface, like those found in marble, and evoking the crevices of the skin. In the third and final stage, each piece is branded, revealing a short poem by the artist. Like an invitation to the viewer, each phrase resonates with a musical sensuality, offering as many scores as there are work — each one is unique, in other words.

A laureate of the Paul Ricard Prize in 2001, Morgane Tschiember has been exhibited at renowned institutions such as Fondation Yves Saint Laurent, Fondation Pernod Ricard, MAC/VAL, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dôle (France), MOCA of Tucson (USA), Vilnius Contemporary Art Center (Lithuania), Elevation Biennale (Gstaad, Switzerland), Oaxaca MACO Museum (Mexico), Riso Palazzo Museum of Palermo (Italy). In spring 2024, a solo exhibition entitled I Poisoned Myself was dedicated to her at the Richard Taittinger Gallery (New York, USA). That same year, she created the monumental work Partition souffle for the Olympic Village (Paris). She designed her first set and costumes for For gods only, by choreographer Olivier Dubois and performed by danseuse étoile Marie-Agnès Gillot, currently showing at the Théâtre du Rond-Point (Paris).

Her work is part of many prestigious collections worldwide: Andy Warhol Foundation (New York), Design Center of the Americas (Miami), 21C Museum (Louisville); in Europe: MAMCO (Geneva, Switzerland), CAB Foundation (Brussels, Belgium), Cnap, MAC/VAL, Dior, Société Générale, Pinault Collection, Yves Saint Laurent (Paris, France) and FIAF French Institute Alliance Française (New York, USA), Samec Collection (France) and Frac Franche-Comté (France).