Voorlinden presents the first major museum survey of the work of Claire Tabouret. Her solo exhibition Weaving Waters, Weaving Gestures shows the full breadth of her practice: her boundary-pushing nature, versatility, and her engagement with complex themes such as identity and human relationships. For example, the French artist portrays herself as a vampire, always on the hunt, searching for new work.
Painting on canvas, faux fur, plexiglass, bronze and ceramics, no medium is beyond Tabouret’s reach. As a figurative painter who stretches the traditional boundaries of her craft, she draws on art-historical themes while reflecting on human connections and the ways we see ourselves, both as individuals and as part of a collective. Her portraits often hold a mirror to the viewer: do you see strength or vulnerability? Her palette is vibrant, sometimes almost fluorescent, at other times composed of delicate, translucent layers. Her work can be classical and romantic, yet dark and mysterious, infused with personal narratives, memories and images sourced from archives or the internet.
Challenging materials
At Voorlinden, Tabouret presents work from the past decade, including pieces created specifically for this exhibition. Visitors are greeted by a series of self-portraits in which she depicts herself as a vampire, clad in a hoodie. She then engages with traditional genres such as bathers, landscapes, mourning women and reflections. Working with seemingly impossible materials, images of detainees, and unconventional crafts, she relinquishes control over the outcome of her work. Throughout her diverse oeuvre, echoes emerge between pieces and between series, revealing an artist constantly testing both herself and her medium.
The virtuoso French painter is internationally acclaimed. Her most famous work is her design for the new stained-glass windows for Notre Dame in Paris, to be unveiled later this year. At Voorlinden, Tabouret presents works from the past ten years of her career.