about cjb
Chloé is a self-taught tattoo artist based in Denver, CO and is the owner of MADÉ Tattoo & Mercantile.
With a background in fine art, Chloé spent 8 years as a working artist, bouncing between freelance, photography, mural, and illustration projects. Chloé’s illustrations led her to the tradition of tattooing in which she is prioritizes bringing safety, comfort, and inclusivity to the industry.
Growing up with a French father and an American mother, Chloé Besson was born in France and grew up travelling between there and Chicago for the first 18 years of her life. After finishing high school in Evanston, IL, she moved to Boulder, CO in 2010 to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking with a sub-focus in photography from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Chloé began tattooing in 2019, spending over six months conducting research, tattooing artificial skin, and trying to form an apprenticeship. After being met with a lot of closed doors, she told herself she would not wait for somebody else to get her start — MADÉ and the vision for Chloé's practice was born the day she decided to fully step into the tattoo industry. She not only hoped to bridge the gap between fine art and tattooing, but also sought to address the lack of client care she saw within the industry. From there, safety, inclusivity, and comfort became the pillars on which her business stood. As a heart-driven creative and female tattooer, her goal is to make both the artist and client feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
Specializing in fine-line tattooing, the work she does is centered around what she is aesthetically drawn to and has roots in practicing mindful tattooing.
artist c.v.
[ E D U C A T I O N ]
2015
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking, sub-focus in Photography & Art History
University of Colorado, Boulder
[ S O L O E X H I B I T I O N S ]
2020
Your Body, Your Skin, Your Presence
Modern Nomad Gallery, Denver | November 2018
2018
The Untitled One, Too
Modern Nomad Gallery, Denver | November 2018
The Untitled One (Many Faces)
Boulder Creative Collective, Boulder | September 15 - October 7, 2018
The Faces
Wonder, Boulder, CO | June 1 - September 1, 2018
2016
Through the Pine
Amante Coffee, Boulder, CO, December 2015
Skinned, Month of Print 2016
Black Box Gallery at Madelife, Boulder, CO, March 2016
Skinned, Month of Print 2016
Boulder Creative Collective, Boulder, CO, April 2016
2015
Luck of Print
University of Colorado, Boulder, April 2015
2014
Desensitizing Landscape
University of Colorado, Boulder, October 2014
Somewhere In Between
University of Colorado, Boulder, November 2014
2013
Humble Assassin
University of Colorado, Boulder, October 2013
See It Be
University of Colorado, Boulder, November 2013
[ G R O U P E X H I B I T I O N S ]
2020
Resident Exhibition
The AKA Gallery, Boulder | February 2020
2017
A Women’s Show of Photography, Month of Photography 2017
Boulder Creative Collective, Boulder, CO March-April 2017
Something That Means Something: An Art Happening
Madelife Gallery, Boulder, CO, May 2017
2016
Spring Grand Salon Show
Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, March 2016
2015
Must Be Continued
Bachelor of Fine Arts show, University of Colorado, Boulder, April 2015
Hand Made Images
University of Colorado, Boulder, November 2015
Something in September
Carol Ann Wachter Gallery, Boulder, CO, September 2015
Perspective on Israel and Palestine
Galeija, Bosnia, November-December 2015
2014
69 Visions of Love
Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO, July 2014
2013
Mythologies
University of Colorado, Boulder, November 2013
Icebreaker Exhibition
IceCube Gallery, Denver CO, December 2013
[ C U R A T E D ]
2018
The Pop-Up
Art Sale and Exhibition, Noyes Art Designs, August 2018
#NEVERAGAIN: The Conversation Continued, May 2018
ATC | DEN, Denver, CO
#NEVERAGAIN: The Conversation Continued 2, October 2018
Boulder Creative Collective, Boulder, CO
[ P U B L I C A T I O N S ]
2018
FLAURA FAUNA Zine, Featured Artist Spread, July 2018
Denver, CO
WESTWORDMagazine, #NEVERAGAIN Art Exhibition Spread, May 2018
Denver, CO
Dirt Zine Magazine, Fine Arts Spread, 2018
2017
Dirt Zine Magazine, Fine Arts Spread, February 2017
2016
Black and White is Worth the Fight, Digital Magazine, Photography Spread March 2016
WESTWORDMagazine, Month of Print, Print Show Spread, March 2016
Denver, CO
2015
INTERKORS Magazine, Photography Spread, May 2015
Denver, CO
2014
Honors Journal
University of Colorado, Boulder
[ P E R M A N E N T C O L L E C T I O N S ]
Hyatt Place
Boulder, CO
Since 2017
Gippsland Centre for Art and Design
Monah University, Gippsland, Australia
Since 2013
[ G R O U P P O R T F O L I O S ]
Mythologies, Print Exchange
Spring 2013
69 Visions of Love, Print Exchange
Spring 2013
[ R E S I D E N C I E S ]
Boulder Creative Collective Residency, Boulder, CO November 1st, 2019 through November 1st, 2020
Tabet Letl Print Symposium, Norfolk Island, South Pacific, December 2015
[ A R T I S T P R E S E N T A T I O N ]
2018 48 Hours Summit and Exhibitions
2018 Artist’s Talk at the #NeverAgain Student Show
2017 Artist’s Talk at the Boulder Creative Collective
2015 Artist’s Presentation at the Carol Ann Wachter Gallery, Boulder CO
2015 Artist’s Presentation at the Tabet Letl Print Symposium Art Center, Norfolk Island, South Pacific
[ R E L A T E D E X P E R I E N C E ]
2014 - 2015
Printmaker’s Collective at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Co-Chair
Fine Art Demos taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder
2016-2017 Assistant Teaching in Print
2015 Screen Printing
2015 Monotype 3 Color Reduction
2015 Tusche Wash Lithography
2014 Monotype 3 Color Reduction