Born in Montreal, Aurélie Guillaume is a French Canadian jeweler, enamelist, and illustrator. Enameling has a long tradition of storytelling, dating back as far as the Byzantine era, when vitreous enamel was used in the depiction of religious icons. Using this traditional technique, Guillaume is reviving the idea of narrative in enameling through a contemporary context fueled by street art, comics, pop art, and counterculture. Her pieces begin with illustrations, which through the process of enameling are given new life in the physical world as wearable objects. By employing a combination of jewelry techniques and illustration, her work confronts the high art form of jewelry with lowbrow humor. Currently living and working in Chicago, she is completing a yearlong residency at the Lillstreet Art Center.
