“I have earthly roots. I come from the countryside, in Picardy. Agriculture never appealed to me, but I always had a passion for plants. »
This is how Geneviève Mathieu became a plant “sculptor”. Sculptor, with an e, she cares about it. “Sculptor, that sounds too harsh. » She practices her Art in Blanzaguet-Saint-Cybard, in Charente, a few kilometers from the Dordogne, where she arrived ten months ago, after living in the Paris region. She settled in the outbuildings of an old abbey, where she set up her house, her workshop and her gardens.
Geneviève Mathieu in her workshop in Blanzaguet-Saint-Cybard, in Charente.
Michel Faure
She will exhibit for the first time at the Rue des Métiers d'Art show in Nontron, from Friday October 25 to Sunday October 27. This will be an opportunity to discover the originality of her creations, born from a real dynamism which pushes her to constantly seek and renew herself.
A revelation
Geneviève Mathieu first turned to floral decoration, then, in 1998, founded her craft company Décors Nature, specializing in landscaped interiors. She works with stabilized plants, that is to say treated to keep their natural appearance, and which can be preserved for years.
Michel Faure
The pambil palm leaf, “a revelation” for the art craftswoman.
“A 4-meter-high tree with 4,000 porcelain leaves for the Shangri-La hotel in Beijing”
“It was a revelation. » She launches into plant sculpture with pambil palm leaves, a tree from the equatorial forest. “We call it the brick tree. It has very hard wood, which is used for construction. But we do nothing with its leaves once they have fallen to the ground. » Geneviève Mathieu finds a use for them. As they are both resistant and malleable, she shapes them to create slender shapes.
“Fairy trees”
His most spectacular works are undoubtedly his “fairy trees”. Branches onto which porcelain leaves are grafted, made by a ceramist, Barbara Billoud. Among his most prominent achievements: “A 4-meter-high tree, with 4,000 porcelain leaves for the Shangri-La hotel in Beijing. » Geneviève Mathieu participates in major exhibitions, collaborates with renowned architects, in France and around the world, and has prestigious clients such as Dior, Lacoste and Kenzo.
Michel Faure
Brass wires evoking air plants.
“I felt like I was running out of steam. » In 2016, Geneviève Mathieu decided to close her business and devote herself entirely to creation. She develops her ideas and increases the number of meetings.
Michel Faure
Wooden trunk, metal petals; plays on shapes and materials.
“I started working with metal during confinement,” she adds. Whether it is brass, copper or stainless steel, it has a larger place. Like air plants, fragile threads cling to their supports. “Art trees” have leaves that reflect light. Corals are born from red wood, next to fish with golden scales.
A foam character
Michel Faure
Geneviève Mathieu and “The Songeuse of the Undergrowth”.
We never stop making discoveries and marveling in the barn which serves as a workshop for the craftswoman. This is where his “Songeuse des sous-bois” resides, a life-size moss character. A nod to fashion, its “winter collection” offers clothes cut from pambil leaves.
Michel Faure
“The winter collection” made with pambil palm leaves.
We note one of his latest works designed for an exhibition at the Château de La Roche-Guyon (Val-d'Oise), in duo with Laurence Lehel, paper sculptor. “We had the theme of skidding. We treated it with humor. » It is a very delicate composition, where a shirt and boots, fashioned from pages of old books and newspapers, are invaded by vegetation. It will be exhibited at Nontron.
