Bronze and textile sculpture depicting a stylized bust with ropes.

Jeanne Vicerial Transforms Aix-en-Provence: Textile Sculptures Reimagine Historic Spaces Across Four Museums

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Written by Seth Sebastian

2026-06-26

Exploring Dualities Through Textile Art

You’re invited to explore the atmospheric dualities in Jeanne Vicerial‘s work, where softness meets resilience and presence mingles with absence. Vicerial, renowned for her textile-focused practice, intricately explores history and femininity with a touch of reverence.

Historic Exhibition Spaces

Vicerial’s exhibition, Incarnation: Carte blanche Jeanne Vicerial, unfolds across several historic venues in Aix-en-Provence this month. Her installations grace the Musée du Pavillon de Vendôme, Musée des Tapisseries, Chapelle de la Visitation, and Musée Granet. In these spaces, her works weave stories of time, tradition, and memory amidst centuries-old architecture and existing museum collections.

A Modern Twist on Medieval Armors

Vicerial captivates with her dramatic Armors series, drawing inspiration from medieval European heritage and customs. A standout piece, “Gisante de cœur,” or “recumbent figure of the heart,” evokes the tradition of placing noble or priestly likenesses atop sarcophagi. Yet, in Vicerial’s interpretation, these figures become enigmatically and powerfully female. Her use of textiles, often associated with clothing, masterfully reveals and conceals, protecting the anonymous silhouettes.

Elongated textile sculpture entwined with varnished roses.
“Gisante (Amnios)” (2022), ropes, threads, and varnished roses, 77 4/7 x 22 3/7 x 13 4/5 inches. Photo © Adrien Millot

“Beyond practical functions, textiles carry within them a memory: the memory of gestures, of uses, and of the traces left behind by the bodies that have worn or transformed them,” explains a statement on her work. In this way, material becomes a silent witness, offering a medium for history that is deeply individual yet collective.

Incarnation runs from June 13 through October 4.

To explore another innovative use of materials, discover how architectural portraits challenge norms through gendered perspectives.

Intricate textile and cord armor-like sculpture with varied textures.
“Armor n°5” (2016-2021) textiles, yarns, cords, knitting, 70 7/8 x 21 5/8 x 17 5/7 inches. Photo © Laurent Edeline
Small decorative sculpture using gilded copper, brass, and ropes.
“Sex voto orné n°19” (2025), ropes, copper and brass gilded with fine gold, 9 3/4 x 5 x 3/4 inches. Photo © Laurent Edeline
Large horizontal textile sculpture with intricate rope work.
“Gisante n°4 ‘Éléa,’ Ce qui n’existe pas existe” (2024), ropes, threads, 13 1/2 x 95 1/4 x 31 3/4 inches. Photo © Laurent Edeline
Tall textile sculpture featuring open design and rope patterns.
“Vénus ouverte #2” (2020), ropes, threads, tricotissage (labeled technique), 70 3/4 × 31 1/2 inches. Photo © Laurent Edeline
Detail of textile sculpture with prominent rope texture and design.
Detail of “Gisante de coeur.” Photo © Laurent Edeline

Source: thisiscolossal.com