Inès Longevial
French artist
Biography
Born in 1990 in Agen, Inès Longevial works with drawing and painting in resonance with impressions, feelings, sensations from which she naturally extracts her palette. The artist approaches her memories in color and gives form to candid and absorbed faces, which carry the nostalgia of seasons, sunsets, shades of light and caresses.
Longevial first devotes herself to drawing, which she practices in the manner of a journal, with a freedom and a gestural spontaneity reminescent of the world of early childhood. This daily exercise helps her to approach painting, the essence of her work.
After exhibitions in Los Angeles, Berlin, San Francisco, Paris and New York, she will be presenting her new works soon in 2022.
Photo credit Fiona Torre
Courtesy of the artist and Ketabi Projects
Q&A with Inès Longevial
Why did you accept this free rein that the Faïencerie de Gien gave you to celebrate its 200th anniversary ?
La Faïencerie de Gien is part of France’s artistic and cultural heritage and, I above all feel thankful to have been approached to celebrate this bicentenary. I was glad to be able to bring a contemporary touch to this historic House.
What does the Faïencerie de Gien bring to mind, for you ?
The Faïencerie de Gien to me suggests the idea of handover : culinary art is transmitted from generation to generation, it lives through time and history. Faïencerie de Gien has been following the history of France and its people for 200 years : beyond being a part of our heritage, it remains distincly modern and moves with the times.
What was your inspiration for this collaboration ?
For this collaboration, my source of inspiration was my series of paintings named «Domino». This series is an interpretation around the polarities we often simply call «warm colors» and «cold colors». Self-portraits are cut in half vertically, and faces are divided in two «opposing» colors.
I apply a first layer of a very bright shade on the surface of the canvas that is moist in places. This brings strength to tender greens, delicate pinks, luminuous mauves and spring yellows. This first color infuses every shade, distrupting their labelling as «warm and cold colors» and therefore determines, discreetly, the painting’s atmosphere.
How did you approach this earthenware/volume medium to express your art ? In other words, how did you integrate it into your artistic process ?
Even if the medium changes, I am always a painter. This has not changed my artistic approach, which is to paint come what may. So I painted directly on the earthenware, which was a challenge compared to my usual canvases because the work is in volume, but beyond this technical dimension, my approach has remained the same.
What have you learnt from this experience ?
I am above all honoured and very happy to have participated in the bicentenary of the Faïencerie de Gien : I was able to bring my own personal touch by offering my work to the Faïence Museum. This is my way of celebrating this national heritage that we all know and have lived with on a daily basis for four generations.
