Maud Dardeau

Some artists find tattooing. Others let it find them. Maud Dardeau was already tracing stories in paint and ink before realizing the body could hold them best. Tattooing didn’t replace her artistic voice; it sharpened it. Since 2011, she’s been etching that voice into skin. Today, she’s one of the leading figures in contemporary engraving, working with a technique rooted in classical engraving and a flow inspired by Japanese composition. Her lines are deliberate. Her textures intricate. Her compositions never static. All built directly on the skin, often freehand, as if the piece had always been meant for that exact body. There’s nothing nostalgic about it, though: Maud is not replicating the past. She’s extending its reach. And redefining what it means to wear history with intent.