Inès Longevial: "The self-portrait allows you to talk about yourself indirectly, and with
Meeting with the talented painter revealed by Instagram who multiplies experiences and media, pursuing her tireless introspection through her poetic self-portraits of ethereal elegance.
You took part in the Premiers Vertiges exhibition which has just ended at the Galerie Ketabi-Bourdet. Can you tell us more about the works you presented there?
Painting and drawing have always been my preferred means of expression. But when I was asked to take part in Premiers Vertiges , I decided to create differently by imagining my first patchwork. It's an idea that has been germinating for a while, which brings me back to my childhood and especially to my grandmother, who has been sewing since I was a child. I had wanted a four-handed project with her for a long time; I therefore imagined this work that we both made, which totals 472 assembled pieces. It's such a personal and introspective work that I sometimes even have trouble rereading it! This is the first time that I have integrated my writings into a work, notes that I have taken on a daily basis, elements of my life that I collect and which form a kind of diary, an open window on my creative process.
When I was little, I was influenced by La Cabeza by Nikki de Saint Phalle. This way of entering the artist's head and penetrating the very intimacy of his spirit inspired me. My drawings are printed on poplin. There is a chronology and a sense of reading, even if the whole remains quite intuitive.
You also presented a self-portrait, which is your favorite medium. How do you approach this very specific artistic form?
I have always worked on the intimate, always wanted to paint too. It's obvious, art has a real therapeutic function and allows you to express things that you sometimes don't even say to yourself. I am paradoxically a very modest person, even if my work explores all the facets of the self-portrait. I also apply my modesty to others by focusing on my own person, because I always have the impression of stealing something from them by representing them. The self-portrait also allows me to talk about myself without words, in a modest and colorful way. I have often worked on the skin as a screen and on rather frozen representations; for this work presented during Premiers Vertiges, I tried to create movement, to penetrate under the skin. I like the idea of forgetting yourself in the self-portrait, of abandoning yourself by being used to your own reflection.
Then, the work no longer belongs to us. Sometimes we talk about the sweetness that emanates from my works when they were motivated by something dark, anger. Everyone sees and projects what they want!
You are part of the first generation of artists to have been revealed by Instagram, and you are followed by more than 332,000 subscribers. How do we continue to feed our inspiration when we see his work so commented, shared and scrutinized?
I went to design school and not Fine Arts; I therefore started with the applied arts and I believe that this gave me a different outlook, particularly on the question of inspiration.
We tend to believe that inspiration falls on you without us looking for it, in an almost passive way. This is, in my opinion, a received idea; inspiration is cultivated, nourished, and my journey has taught me that. For a few years, I had stopped my collaborations with brands, which I am gradually resuming and only with houses that allow me the necessary creative freedom. Apart perhaps from my beginnings when I had just moved to Paris, I always generally managed to say no when I did not recognize myself in a project.
I also had the chance to start my career at the beginning of Instagram, I was not devoured by this platform as some artists sometimes are. For example, I have always refused orders from individuals, I want to keep this distance with my audience and I have taken a step back from social networks.
What are your next projects ?
I have quite a few exhibitions to come, in particular a group exhibition at Château La Coste until the end of May. It is an extraordinary place and I am delighted to have my place there, to be able to invest it through my works. There is also the release of Line Papin's book which I have the pleasure of illustrating. We met on France Inter this summer and that gave rise to a powerful artistic connection. I did not know his books and I read them on this occasion; she prefaced my book and I illustrate her collection of poems, it's a very nice encounter. I am also working on a book project that will be released by Editions Rizzoli. But also on a solo exhibition at the Almine Rech gallery in London, as well as with Veuve Cliquot on a traveling exhibition called Solaire . There will be artists of all generations, with very diverse profiles.
Are there other mediums or disciplines that you would like to explore?
I love writing and I would like to devote myself to it one day, without knowing precisely in what form. There is already a form of narration that is expressed in my patchwork, and I would like to explore this further. Sculpture is also a field that fascinates me. But not right away, I have my whole life for that.
