February's Featured Artist

Would you care to elaborate on what defines your recent artwork? Are pain and struggle a theme? What about hope?

I have always been drawn to the rawness of the body, as in what's underneath, hidden under the skin. The layers of skin can hide so many traumas, either emotional or physical, and I want to see what lies in the depths of us rather than on the surface. The emotional journey is lived by and through the body, and its distortions and rigidity, whether real or imaginary, makes for beautiful shapes. If you look at how the body responds to an emotion, you see that the physical body and the emotional body are interlinked. I feel that rawness, that pulp, is what’s honest and that’s what I want to portray. This is why I like working with x-rays as well. It makes for very vulnerable work, not only as a result, but also as a medium to work on.
I suppose many of my early artworks are indicative of a pain and struggle of some sort, even if at the time I might have not been that conscious of it as the works were spontaneous.
I can understand that hope is an important theme not only in the paintings but the acting too, but more for the audience than for the artist, really. A painting or character which infuses the audience with a sense of hope and possibilities provides the audience with an experience they can apply in their life dramas.

Painting, acting, and performance dance; that’s a diverse skill set. Why these? Any others?

Painting and acting are two very different media which make me feel alive and content creatively.
I can't do just one or the other. In acting, I love fusing my own life experiences with the one of whichever character I read about, and then consequently I am creating this third person, in given imaginary circumstances. I love the immense work in preparation and research there is to do before even learning the scripts. I am very curious and always seek out new things,

I love learning, so it's always a fascinating journey.
Painting, on the other hand, allows me to translate my imagination in a more obscure yet still personal way. I always paint with music on. Music is a great inspiration to me and seems to really stimulate my creative flow.

Any particular school/method you ascribe to? Any overriding predominant influences?

For my paintings, I have been a big fan of Francis Bacon for years. His works never cease to amaze me.

How do you feel about art as a cathartic method?

It is true that some of my early paintings were cathartic to an extent, but it was and never can be an end to a means. Catharsis is just one stage or aspect of art for me, but it would be unhealthy to think art is enough to feel better or resolve whatever one needs to resolve. That comes with support appropriate to what you need at the time, seeing a psychologist or whomever else.
I don't think expressing yourself via any medium is on its own catharsis. If it was, you would basically be just vomiting your issues, which, frankly, is boring. This is as true in painting as it is in acting. Who wants to see an actor cry his eyes out just for the sake of it? I certainly don’t. There are circuses for those performances, and they’re not for me.

I think it can help to express what one cannot with words, but if you were to create art only to release your issues, well, once you have done it, then what?

I think you should utilize what needs to be sorted out for creative purpose. For sure, use it in your work, but do not let the work be just that.

Improvisation is an important aspect of both acting and dancing. Is there a way you learn how to think on your feet, or is it more impulsive, more intuitive than this?

The whole point of improvisation is the spontaneous, the "in the now" moment, therefore you can't learn how to do it as it's impulsive.
In my acting work, I have had to and still do need to be more spontaneous, meaning being less in my head and more in the moment...think less...I do tend to be in my head a lot.

From where are you currently working and what projects/companies are you currently involved with?

I am from a town just outside Paris, France, and I have been living in London for few years now. I have always been fascinated and inspired by London for its music and art scene, and by the buzz I get from living in a city where things change and move so quickly. Everything seems possible yet unattainable at the same time.
As for work, I have a showcase in the beginning of March, in a theatre in the West End, and I just finished filming an interview with Glen Matlock, which will be featured on his website for the launch of his new album. I am also booked in both a short and feature film by French director Mohamed Fekrane. The short will be a dark comedy shot in April/May, just outside London. I am also working on ideas and sketches for future art exhibitions, one especially entitled Dreamcatchers.

Anything you’d like to add?

Thank you to Lucie and everyone at Little Episodes for all their hard work.