Cécile Hadjian
Contemporary Embroidery Artist
I draw with thread. At the intersection of drawing, textiles and light, I create embroidered artworks in which every thread direction, density and material contributes to the image.
Unique artworks
Portraits, mythological figures, creatures and symbolic presences form a visual world in which thread replaces the painterly mark. Some works involve dozens of colours and several hundred thousand stitches, yet technical virtuosity never takes precedence over the image itself.
Everything begins with drawing.
I then build the work in the language of embroidery: stitch direction, density, layering, matte and reflective surfaces, texture and relief. The embroidery machine is my tool, as a brush is to a painter. It executes a composition that I draw, digitise, refine and direct.
The result is not a drawing simply “filled” with thread. It is an image conceived to exist in material form and to change with the light.
Material, light, relief
Thread is never merely a colour. Luminous viscose, matte cotton, metallic threads, velvet, organza, tulle, cork and textured textiles are chosen for the way they respond to light and create depth. Thread direction becomes a way to model a face, animate metal, or suggest skin, feathers and foliage.
« I do not fill surfaces; I sculpt them. »
Trained as a designer and illustrator
Trained as a designer and illustrator, I discovered machine embroidery as one might discover a new language. More than fifteen years working with professional embroidery software, machinery and demanding materials have enabled me to make it my artistic medium today.
Discover my storyFrom drawing to thread
Collectors, galleries, interior designers, houses and creators: for acquisitions, commissions or artistic collaborations, please get in touch.
Contact me