Joëlle Picquet

Fabric sculptor

©Christine Leidgens

©Anne d'Huart

All the colours of the world

Joëlle sources some of her materials at a local flea market
Her colours are inspired by various African and Asian aesthetics
She used to work as a nurse in maternity care

For 25 years, Joëlle Picquet worked as a nurse in maternity care. Today, her textile art is all about the creation of new life through flamboyant colours. She finds some of her fabrics at a Brussels flea market, where she also finds interesting old tools. “This way, I offer a new purpose to discarded materials and keep traditional techniques alive,” she says. Joëlle's use of colour is partly inspired by her travels in Africa, but her work can also provide a sense of peacefulness, especially her indigo creations. She learned to dye with indigo in India. “When I discover new places and meet new people, doors open in my mind. After going through these doors, I always encounter fascinating stories that I want to transmit in my creations.”

Interview

©Christine Leidgens

©Christine Leidgens

When and how did you start practising your craft?: As a child, I often embroidered with my mother and grandmother, and working with textile remained an interest in my life. I started exhibiting my work at the urging of a painter who was impressed by my creations. From 2020 I devoted myself entirely to my craft.
How would you define what you do?: I create something new with elements that I gather from different cultures and from the past. Not only materials and tools, but stories as well. I find inspiration close to home, at a Brussels flea market that I have been visiting since decades, but also amongst others in Africa, Brazil and India.
What do you love most about your profession?: Apart from the creative process, I adore sharing my ideas with others. I personally do not see the sense of staying in your workshop all the time. I need to meet people and exchange experiences, this is what keeps offering me fresh perspectives.
What does well made mean to you?: The finishing touches are extremely important to me, I cannot stand any loose threads or other small flaws in my work. It has to be just right, down to the last detail. I have often been told that I should be less of a perfectionist, but that is tough for me. I always give it my all.

Joëlle Picquet is a rising star: she began her career in 2016