Yann Crenn has expressed his sensitivity to colors through his drawings from a very young age. He also enjoyed creating unusual objects that he crafted with his own hands in his grandfather’s workshop, where they shared moments of closeness. Both his drawings and objects revealed his fertile imagination, patience, and dedication.
Yann Crenn was born in Paris on March 5, 1999. His childhood passions naturally guided him towards an artistic education (first at the Ateliers de Sèvres in Paris, then at ECAL in Switzerland). During his studies, he developed a particular interest in printmaking techniques, captivated by linocut and the shimmering brilliance of inks. What initially intrigued him interested him even more when he could push its limits further. He then developed a technique that became his distinctive hallmark, involving layered engravings and prints. The result is a soft blend of inks and a three-dimensional visual effect.
Here we are. Creating an active visual effect with the viewer thus became part of his creative process. While he aims to captivate the observer, he also intends to engage them actively with his creations. In doing so, he follows Marcel Duchamp’s expression that “It is the viewers who make the paintings.”
He places no limits on his choice of materials: plexiglass, resin, wood, steel, paper… nor on techniques: printing, painting, sculpture, creating in two or three dimensions.
In 2023, following a second private exhibition of his works in Paris, he decided to connect his creations to a theme that became the guiding thread of a new body of work. The butterfly, a vividly colorful animal, became the subject of a creative process to which he brought his patterns and color harmonies.
His works have been exhibited in major international art fairs, including Contemporary Istanbul, Moderne Art Fair Paris, and Art Miami.