Embroidery Art by Justin Morin
These days, you don’t have to be an heir to the throne to justify having your portrait done, nor do you don’t need a royal inheritance to pay for one. Why? Because more and more contemporary artists are loosening up classical portraiture, divesting the genre of its stuffy elitism and stratospheric prices.
That’s why I plan on having my face stitched on fabric.
Call me crazy, but when I find the funds to immortalize my mug, I’m going the way of the needle— and I know who’s going to do the stitching!
For years I’ve admired the work of French artist Justin Morin. Using embroidery as his main medium, Morin makes art out of different types of threads. From chunky macramé sculptures and hand-embroidered stickers to Birkin bags stitched in silk on cotton fabric, he gives a conceptual dimension to handicrafts by modernizing their subjects and settings.
“It all started with the notion of the link; how relationships between people are created, how they cross one another, come together and come apart. The vocabulary used to explain these ideas resonated for me visually in thread,” says the 29-yr-old artist.
Ignoring his professors’ protests, Morin taught himself how to embroider while studying at the Beaux Art in Metz. Shedding embroidery’s image as an outdated minor craft, he’s refreshed its status by giving it a chic, contemporary context in which to thrive.
Since moving to Paris in 2003, Morin has pioneered a new portrait style that’s best described as experimental realism with a tactile twist. Combining digital photography with state-of-the-art textile design, Morin uses needles, thread and a kaleidoscopic range of color to freeze faces in time. A crafty confluence of fast and slow techniques give his canvases a super sleek, handmade feel, one that begins with a photography session in Morin’s apartment and ends in an atelier in Belgium with a 12-needle industrial sewing machine.
What makes embroidered canvasses so special is the behavior of the thread. The same thread stitched in one direction will change color when stitched in another because it catches the light differently.
For example, Morin’s all-white portrait prototype looks metallic, off-white, gray and creamy at times, but the colors are just an illusion: the entire portrait is made out of the same exact white thread.
Even though the canvases are in 2-D, the fluctuations of light on the surface of the thread create a hologram effect that makes the embroidery just jump off the canvas. You can’t get that with painting and drawings. So if you’re like me and love the notion of one-of-a-kind portraits that pop, Morin is the man to stitch your mug.
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Prices: 1500€ for still lives, 2200€ for portraits
Approx canvas size: 50×60cm
Contact: send me an email to be put in touch with Justin
If in Paris be sure to check out this group show curated by Justin Morin:
“Scales of the universe, the definition of the frontier”
Featuring work by: Claire Decet, Samuel François, Corentin Grossmann, Justin Morin, Sandra Przyczynski and Markus Zimmermann
Galerie Jeanroch Dard, 13 rue des arquebusiers, 75003 Paris
June 27th through July 31st, 2009.
Opening party: June 27th from 18h – 21h
June 16th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Hey girl… you are finding some really interesting things!
Will Justin Morin work from a photo?
K.L.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:00 am
I just went thro’ this piece of work by Justin morin,Quite interesting,But as an artist and a needle work enthusiast,I feel you never get the effect as one does a painting,portrait.Never can you compare a painting to an work of embroidery.(Though both are works of art)
The effect on a painting is very realistic and three dimensional.
Where as an embroidery though pleasing to the eye,does not require a fine rythm and co-ordination between your brain,heart and fingers.A painting requires the necessary emotions too,It’s more like composing a poem.I hope you got it.I am a great admirer of every thing done by hand,be it embroidery,paintings,knitting,tatting,bobbin laces and your work of art is excellent,and i’m sure in India you find a lot of artists whose works are original,and does portraits .
Lulu.
June 17th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I love emrboidery art. I am so impressed how many contemporary artists are using this technique these days.
There was a really interesting article about embroidery art in artpress in January by Frederique Joseph-Lowery.
I would love to see the work of Justin Morin.
Stan
June 17th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Thanks Stan. Very curious about that article. Do you have it at your gallery?
June 17th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Thanks, Lulu, for bringing up an interesting point. With both painted and embroidered portraiture—or any art for that matter—I think it’s impossible to get full effect unless you have the piece in front of you. Justin’s portraits take on a life of their own when you see them face to face. It’s really remarkable how they change when viewed from different angles. Do you know of people in India who are doing portraits through handcrafts like embroidery? Would be interesting to see that work. Best, Z.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’ve just heard from Justin in response to your question, Karen, and he says that he only works from photos he’s taken himself. Guess you’re going to have to come to Paris then? Z
June 17th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Yes I have that article. I can make you a copy if you want.
Also I saw that Justin Morin is curating a show at JeanRochDard gallery in Paris, opening June 27th.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I very much enjoyed reading this article, as I own a small business called Transformational Threads (http://transformationalthreads.com) that licenses images of original fine art and then has the images custom hand-embroidered by Vietnamese artisans. The results, rendered using only color photos of the images, are stunning. MED
June 18th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Thanks, Zeva, for introducing the work of such an interesting artist. I’m obsessed with all things stitched, and though my works tend to loosely evolve, with abstract and sometimes conceptual underpinnings, with a heavy dose of biomorphism thrown in, I am always fascinated by those who are in full command of their workmanship. These portraits are stunning, emotionally-evocative works. Beautiful!
July 4th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hey Zeva, hey Justin, I had never seen the white on white ones…it’s gorgeous! Il faut que je passe chez Jean Roch.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Hi Zeva… I want to hear more about those custom shoes you got in LA. Their website is fascinating. Which pair did you order and how long does it take?
Shout out to Patti….. let’s go!!!
Karen
July 6th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
karen, the shoe story will be described in detail in a couple of weeks so don’t want to spoil the surprise…Z
July 31st, 2009 at 3:45 pm
[...] Lovely embroidery by Justin Morin. [...]
September 12th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Wow I love the white on white portrait are they hand embroidered or are they produced on a multi-head machine?
September 12th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Sarah, they’re all produced on a special multi-head machine at an atelier in Brussels. Just checked out your site btw and your work is beautiful. I love the insects! The Etsy link doesn’t work, though. Are you sold anywhere else online? Z
September 12th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Hi Zeva, many thanks for answering my question, Justin’s work is amazing. Thank you also for your comment about my work. I am currently setting up a shop on my website but also work to commission. Thanks Sarah
March 6th, 2010 at 2:41 am
I always enjoy reading your blog.