Uriel Barthélémi is a drummer, composer and electronic musician.
His language combines drums, performance, sound and visual installations, video and composition.
This multifaceted identity is found in the work he generates, hybrid, dense and unclassifiable.
Intimately mixing drums and electronics, flexible writing and improvisation, he received numerous commissions, by French ministry of culture in 2021 & 2024 , as well as by Cycling 74, Parade for FIAC, Intonal festival, National Theater of China, Sharjah Art Foundation, Steirischer Hersbt, among other. He was laureate of the SACD fund in 2023.
His work deeply questions the links between music and dance through his own shows, as well as the notions of plasticity & physicality of sound and political and frictional psychological contexts. In this frame, he created “Souls Landscapes” for the opening of the Sharjah biennial (United Arab Emirates) in 2015, or “The Unbreathing” for the opening of the Maerz Musik festival in 2017. In extension of his collaborations with hiphop dancers, He co-created in 2020 the battle Process Dat Sound, mixing hiphop dances and improvised musics, which will have its 6th edition in 2025.
He’s evolving in the live performance network since 2002, composing for dance, contemporary puppetry, theater, as well as in the performance and visual arts fields :
In 2024 he created « Le Jardin: incantation-incarnation » personal exhibition shown for 6 months at the Frac Champagne Ardenne, and has performed in prestigious venues such as the Centre Pompidou, La Monnaie de Paris, La Cour d’honneur du Palais des papes, Santa Monica, Palazzo Grassi.
He shares the stage and collaborates with many artists such as Haegue Yang, Hélène Breschand, Susie Ibarra, Nikhil Chopra, Zeid Hamdan, Edash Quata, Tarek Atoui, Hassan Khan, Taro Shinoda, Salomon Baneck-Asaro, Angelica Mesiti, Amélie Legrand.
Selected Shape Artist 2018, he was composer in long-term residency at Césaré – national center for musical creation in 2022-2023. Funded and supported by Drac Ile de France in 2022-25, he is an artist in residency at the Rauschenberg Foundation (US) and a guest artist at the Kochi Biennale (India) in 2025. He is also a guest artist in residency at the Watermill Center (U.S.) in 2026.
Uriel Barthélémi est batteur, compositeur et musicien électronique.
Son langage combine batterie, performance, installation sonores et visuelles, vidéo et composition.
Cette identité multifacette se retrouve dans le travail qu’il génère, hybride, dense et inclassable.
Mêlant intimement batterie et électronique, écriture souple et improvisation, il a reçu de nombreuses commandes, deux commandes d’état, ainsi que de Cycling 74, de parade for FIAC, du festival Intonal, du Théâtre National de Chine, de Sharjah Art Foundation. Il a été lauréat du fond SACD en 2023.
Son travail questionne de manière approfondie les liens musiques et danse via ses propres spectacles, ainsi que les notions de plasticité & physicalité du son et les contextes psychologiques politiques et frictionnels, Dans ce cadre il créé Souls Landscapes en ouverture de la biennale de Shrjah( Emirats Arabes Unis) en 2015, ou encore en ouverture du festival Maerz Musik en 2017. Il co-créé en 2020 le battle Process Dat Sound, mêlant danses et musiques, qui en sera à sa 6eme édition en 2025.
Il œuvre également dans le réseau du spectacle vivant depuis 2002, composant pour la danse, les marionnettes contemporaines, le théâtre, la performance ainsi que les arts visuels. En 2024 il créé « Le Jardin : incantation -incarnation » exposition personnelle montrée 6 mois durant au Frac Champagne ardenne et a récemment performé dans des lieux tels prestigieux que le Centre Pompidou, la Monnaie de Paris, La Cour d’honneur du Palais des papes, Santa Monica, Palazzo Grassi, ou encore Nyege Nyege festival.
Il partage la scène et collabore avec de nombreux artistes tels que Haegue Yang, Hélène Breschand, Susie Ibarra, Nikhil Chopra, Zeid Hamdan, Edash Quata, Tarek Atoui, Hassan Khan, Taro Shinoda, Salomon Baneck-Asaro, Angelica Mesiti, Amélie Legrand.
Sélectionné Shape Artist 2018, il a été compositeur en résidence longue à Césaré – centre national de création musicale en 2022-2023. Conventionné Drac Ile de France en 2022-25, il est artiste en résidence à la fondation Rauschenberg (U.S) et artiste invité à la Biennale de Kochi (Inde) en 2025-26. Il est également artiste invité en résidence au Watermill Center (U.S.) en 2026.
« Uriel Barthélémi (…) creates compelling physical and psychological dramas through the intense production of sound. Combining drums and electronics, composition and improvisation, his work captures the very essence of live performance ». Valerie Grove (for the Al Mamal Art foundation).
Selected Commissioned works : –
Le Jardin : incantation incarnation : exposition personnelle with the participation of Haegue Yang – commissioned by french ministry of culture, Frac champagne-ardennes and Césaré-cncm (2024)
Naviguer sur les ruines de l’ancien monde // music and choréographic performance – Commission for the creation of an original music score by French Ministry of culture (2021)
Lafayette Anticipation // percussions pieces for the video communications and the sound design of Lafayette Anticipation Foundation | France (2017-18)
« The Unbreathing » live drums, electronics & video performance / commissioned by Maerzmusik | Berlin, Germany (2017)
« Lunar Reflection Transmission Technique » live drums, electronics & video performance with Taro Shinoda/ commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation | Sharjah, U.A.E. (2016)
« Souls’ Landscapes » live performance / Sound tryptich commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation | Sharjah, U.A.E. (2015)
« Talking with the unspoken rythm » | Educational Audio/video game, commissioned by PUCE MUSE, SACEM & CDMC I France (2012-14)
« Ilôts » | in collaboration with Nicolas Clauss – générative surround installation commissioned by the Soundtrack company I France (2012)
« Visiting Tarab » live performance piece commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation | Sharjah, U.A.E. (2011)
« Exhaustion » live performance / Sound tryptich commissioned by Al Mamal Art Foundation | East-Jerusalem (2010).