Cloé Vriet’s work exists in a delicate space where paper moves beyond fragility to become something architectural, atmospheric, and quietly powerful. As a French artist and set designer, she approaches paper not as a surface, but as a material that can hold light, create depth, and transform entire environments. Vriet’s practice sits comfortably at the crossroad of art, scenography, and material exploration. Whether crafting installations or designing sets, paper remains her core medium, as both her starting point and her language.
Cloe Vriet’s Work Is Defined By a Strong Sense of Structure
Vriet folds, layers, cuts, and assembles paper sheets into spatial compositions that feel architectural, while still retaining the softness true to paper as a material. Light is also essential to the artist’s work. Through shadow and translucency, paper becomes both object and filter — edges soften, surfaces glow, and forms shift with the viewer’s perspective. Vriet’s work feels alive, shaped as much by its environment as by her hand.
The artist’s background in set design is evident in her immersive approach. Rather than creating isolated pieces, Vriet engages entire spaces, with walls, corners, and rooms become part of the composition. This creates experiences rather than objects. Viewers step into her work, where even abstract forms suggest rhythm, movement, and quiet narrative.
Rather than creating isolated pieces, Vriet engages entire spaces, with walls, corners, and rooms become part of the composition.
Behind the apparent lightness lies a precise process. Cutting, folding, and assembling paper — often at scale — requires control and patience. Yet Vriet balances this with intuition, allowing repetition and simple gestures to guide the outcome. As she has noted, “Paper remembers every gesture — you can’t hide it.” Each crease and cut becomes part of the final expression, revealing the process itself.
Exhibitions and Commercial Collaborations
Vriet’s installations have been shown in galleries and cultural spaces where art and environment merge. Her work adapts to each setting, responding to light, scale, and architecture. While in commercial collaborative projects, she brings a tactile, human quality to larger productions, demonstrating paper’s ability to be both subtle and monumental. Vriet’s set designs have been commissioned with major global brands such as Moët Hennessy, Dior, Kenzo, Issey Miyake, and more. You can also explore the artist’s work and purchase your own piece from her webshop here.
At the core of her practice is a focus on simplicity. By limiting her material, Vriet highlights nuance: texture, shadow, and rhythm. Paper, often seen as disposable, is elevated into something lasting and meaningful.
At the core of her practice is a focus on simplicity. By limiting her material, Vriet highlights nuance: texture, shadow, and rhythm. Paper, often seen as disposable, is elevated into something lasting and meaningful. For paper art lovers, her work is a quiet reminder of the medium’s range. Sculptural yet light, minimal yet immersive. It invites us to slow down and see how even the simplest material can transform space and perception.
Images © Cloé Vriet