Originally from Paris, I was naturally attracted to western destinations as a teenager, which brought me to live in Canada and Switzerland and it was in my early twenties that I started being drawn to other places in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. I’m interested in the dialogue between family heritage and personal development, history and womanhood, spirituality and modern relationships, and that’s probably why I feel the need to learn about deeper, unfiltered, non-Western cultures. While London is definitely the place where I want to develop myself as a Visual Artist, for its vibrant, cultural scene and unique opportunities it provides, I also need to feed myself regularly, whether physically or indirectly by these places. It goes from the films I watch, the books I read to the people I surround myself with to the trips and photographs I take. These influence the colours I mix, the effects of natural landscapes, the mystical feel of some pieces. They feed me differently, making me understand the world we were not taught about but also finding my own definition of cultural belonging.

It probably comes from my own mixed cultural heritage and self-taught, instinctive practice, rather than a direct answer to hierarchy. It’s key to me that everything feels naturally blended and fluid, creating a new reality once the piece is finished. I put a special emphasis on finding my colour language, spending more time mixing shades and giving myself challenges such as working dark or adding pastel tones. I also embraced working on paper as much as on canvas. The former introduced further elements of sewing, wool, pearls and embellishments at a smaller scale, with a more defined approach. I also understood that I was in my territory between abstract and figurative and that it was in my DNA not to be easily defined. What became important for me was that the story, my heritage, was told in its authenticity and depth, showing the layers of generational trauma we carry and the healing power we hold within.

Dreams, subconscious and meditative states definitely influence me. While my early work was a direct, raw, unfiltered conversation with myself, I approached painting differently in 2019 to prepare for the 1:54 Art Fair. It started with months of self-hypnosis and spiritual practice to heal my inner child and adult self, which shows in pieces such as The Unwanted Diamond; Here I Am Naked and Life In Paper Houses. I depict my family’s history and the mutable sense of cultural belonging in a very vulnerable yet subtle way, using symbols from our heritage and mysticism, but also apparitions in dreams. I believe that reprogramming my subconscious and understanding my shadow has also made way for full light and energy forms. It allowed me to develop, understand and own my visual language that shows in Patience & Phantasm, Metanoia and in the most recent Spirituality and Fareway series. I developed a habit to stop painting at a certain time in the day, that has to be a moment where I’m in a dialogue with the piece and I’m excited about it. Late-night visual research, reading and rest will then play a part and the early morning will seal everything on the canvas. It’s a very liberating moment.

I’m obsessed with creating and showing movement in my work, whether it’s telling a story of displaced domesticity (We’ve Always Been Kings And Queens), approaching the new era we live in (A New Dawn) or having a conversation with the universe (Spirituality series). So it first makes sense to move within my studio from desk to floor to walls, to sometimes working from home or in a foreign place (Martinique, Lagos, Egypt) as it creates different states and ways to approach your body and movement within that space. Some stages such as sewing or dotting are repetitive. Navigating between stillness and contortion, thus require a certain patience and dedication, similar to my yoga practice. While others like layering and collage on bigger pieces are physical, intense, and feel like boxing. Both are important in the conversation I’m having with the piece, in deciding which materials to use, how to blend them and knowing when to stop.

The central point of my work always came from personal experiences in one way or another, whether I speak of the child or the woman, my heritage or my spiritual self. The fact that some of the pieces are considered universal and speak to a wider audience in their own realities is unintentional. I tell my personal stories but what you see and how you feel is yours. However, this time I was interested in changing that perspective. Focusing on Congolese folklore through tales, proverbs and songs I cherish, I intentionally want to show that we can all relate to a non-Western narrative, making it more universal than you think it was.

In most cases, I collect materials I am attracted to without always knowing how I would use them and then I do so when I think they make sense on the piece. Alternatively, the material can be the starting point, for example in the case of papier-mâché for Daydreaming Of Love In A Papier-Mâché Dress. The reason why I am attracted to the objects in the first place is definitely based on their meanings and sense of memory, but also on their textures and the effects they create. In the case of garbage bags, I used them in heart shapes in the Childhood Memories series (She Used To Live In 9 Square Meters Near The Eiffel Tower; The Stolen Christmas Tree) to depict the conflicting definition of the love of my parents and all its impact on me, my self-esteem, self-confidence and body language. The starting point of Midnight Walk was Pandora’s Box, so she carries a locker key on her head to emphasise the beauty and unpredictability of this fearless woman. Dried flowers are romantic, subtle and reassuring and create a balance with the thick, mysterious atmosphere of the scene.

I actually started working on paper casually in late 2018 but I embraced it in 2019 when I understood how much more it allowed me to explore. They were originally some sort of studies that in the end turned out strong enough on their own to be presented at the 1:54 Art Fair. The work was very well-received and that’s where the hospital commission comes from, as they asked for pieces on paper directly. It was a very free and pleasant work for an artist — I chose to explore the positive emotions associated with womanhood, motherhood, femininity, sexuality and children as I thought a hospital can feel intense and draining at times for the patients and carers. This was in line with my intention to further delve into subjects associated with my current journey rather than the past, and I was particularly excited to celebrate women and babies in an abstract, unseen body of work. It called on my “mother side”, feminine emotions, looking through my child’s eyes and pushed me to think about artworks I wished I’d seen when I gave birth. I researched tarot cards, childhood tales, magical images, astrology and fecundity.

Of course, one couldn’t help but wonder and wander during lockdown so there’s definitely some sort of influence on the pieces. However, they’re not a form of escape from my reality as I truly appreciated the moment of stillness of this unique time. I already planned on working around wonder and wander, and also “smaller” subjects to study further possibilities that I could apply to larger scales. The fact of working on these smaller individual studies on compacted formats definitely pushed me to intensify each element, adding further influences such as Chagall, Chaïbia, or Le Corbusier, and remaining patient along the way!

One of his first advice was to not give up the day job, so you don’t stress about the money to pay your bills, because this is a long ride. Even though juggling between the two and having a kid was extra demanding, it definitely allowed me to feel free and empowered by my practice rather than pressured and drained. After he presented me officially for the first time at 1:54 which was a success, everything felt right and peaceful to become full time in the new year. We also discuss constantly what’s next and how but he doesn’t influence the work I’m producing, which is the perfect relationship.

I‘ve been interested in working on a smaller format for a long time and it became the right choice with the Spirituality works because the smaller, square format pushes you to focus on your core, clear the junk and elevate your self-expression, which is what spirituality is all about. It was the first time I fully applied the approach I had with works on paper and used sewing, wool, gold leaf, glitter, papers, and even tissue and sand on the canvas. It’s interesting because they were all made over winter in London, which is usually a gloomy period where you go inward and hibernate, while three of them were made on an Egyptian break taken alone over New Year’s Eve, which was the perfect high to finish the series. The direct light, mystical feel and layers of history of the country massively influenced me. I think the smaller format makes the work somewhat accessible for such a subject. Spirituality doesn’t necessarily feel at reach first. Some of the works being very abstract, the square format can encourage the viewer to have a personal moment with the piece rather than feeling overwhelmed.

Working on canvas can definitely feel restrictive as you’re limited in format and support, which is why I am working on loose linen textiles over the summer and plan on working on handmade wooden panels in the future. I’m interested to see if the form and texture of the support push new boundaries in my practice, whether in transparency, the materials used or ways of working. They might fall out of the painting category and that’s exactly the challenge I’m looking for.