Mathieu Grodet: Expressing Complex Modern Themes via Multi-Disciplinary Glass Works

Using over 17,500 letters of handmade murrine tiles, Mathieu Grodet composed La Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen, which translated means the Declaration of Human Rights, which was written in 1789. Recreated in mosaic style, dark red was used to represent blood, with the ivory-colored background symbolizing the ivory tower that freedom must be taken from. Intense attention to detail combined with a contemporary message defines Grodet's multi-disciplinary works in glass.  A French-born artist living and working in Canada, Grodet also creates thin and elegant glass objects in classic Venetian style, engraved using a Dremel tool with imagery that addresses modern-day ideas and issues. Says Grodet, "Several themes are recurrent: the memory, the inventories, but also the lie (propaganda) or the secret." His work reflects a deep interrogation of the world and its violence.  Later, Grodet learned to paint on various glass shapes using enamel, and through these techniques was able to make his illustrations more fanciful and full of color. Though it provided an alternative way to express on glass, the enameling process can be time-consuming and technically difficult. Firing can be stressful, and mistakes are unfixable. In one instance, Grodet invested three months of work on one piece, which he had to abandon after issues with the firing. He hasn't worked with enamel since, but toys with the idea of revisiting these processes that afford so much artistic space.  In parallel with glassblowing, Grodet learned flameworking and quickly discovered it was far easier to put together a small flameworking studio than a hot shop. At a Loren Stump workshop presented at the Corning Museum of Glass, Grodet learned the ancient technique of murrine. When the pandemic hit, he finally had some time off from teaching to focus on flameworked murrine and now spends most of his studio time on the techniques. Says Grodet: "Glassblowing will always have a special place in my heart. Your entire body is needed to work the hot shop, and I love the physicality of engaging with fire and water – it is playing with terrestrial forces – something bigger than us. However, now I am enjoying the art of murrine and its technical and strategic aspects. It is like building a house; you need to carefully plan every step over weeks. It also involves other diverse techniques, such as cold working, marquetry and mosaic. I am in uncharted territory on the murrine planet."  Grodet was born in Orleans, France, where he first studied art and drawing at the Visual Art Institute of Orleans. In 1999, he discovered the medium of glass and began his career in this ancient art by training at several studios across France and Europe. He began learning flameworking at CERFAV (the European Centre for Research and Training in Glass Art). After many travels, he dropped his suitcases in Canada, where he now applies the various different techniques acquired over the years to his artistic practice. With all his work, Grodet explores themes of contradiction, power, duality and the absurdity of life.  Represented by Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, and Galerie Elena Lee in Montreal, Quebec, Grodet's art has been shown at SOFA Chicago, Galerie Espace Verre, and is held in several museum collections, including The Corning Museum of Glass and the Art Institute of Chicago. He has taught and demonstrated around the world. From September 25 to November 9, 2025, Grodet's work will be on view at Musée du Verre, site du Bois du Cazier, Charleroi, Belgium. The artist recently taught a murrine class at Salem Community College, June 16 through 20 followed by a medieval glassblowing class at the Coring Museum of Glass, June 23 through July 4. He will teach at the Glass Furnace in Istanbul, August 4 through 14, and his final teaching gig of 2025, a murrine class, takes place in Kansas City from November 8 through 12 at the studio of Sara Sally LaGrand.