Meet conceptual artist Angele Lautier: artist, mother of four, and soon to be student of psychology – how does she manage it all?
I haven’t seen Angele for over 25 years but her enthusiasm for life still shines through. I can see it in her work. Thanks to Facebook and Instagram we recently reconnected and it was great to catch up and learn more about what she’s been up to since we were both young, naughty, slightly crazy, fun loving girls without a care in the world. In our spare time we used to model on the catwalk together, usually for fashion shows to raise money for various charities. It was such fun, we were a great group of young people, our “claim to fame” travelling to Italy to model in a fashion show in an amazing castle in Calabria. Angele was always the life and soul of the group and the one making us all laugh and as soon as we started chatting, she had me laughing like old times. Meet conceptual artist Angele Lautier: artist, mother of four, and soon to be student of psychology – how does she manage it all?
Francesca: Tell us a little about yourself.
I live and work in London. I am very lucky to have my own studio where I spend most of my time working on commissions as well as my own projects in painting and sculpture. Three days a week, I teach Art & Design and I have just started another degree in Psychology.
Francesca: Where do you draw your inspiration and how do you process it?
All of my work is autobiographical. I also draw inspiration from my immediate surroundings, be it a gesture in a conversation or a headline in the news. The product of my response is then developed through research which informs my work. Once I settle into this space, I then playfully upset the concept by applying a surreal and conceptual artist approach, together with an unexpected colour palette. My interest in human observation, interaction and behaviour is evident through the expression and narrative between the elements in my composition in each piece.
Francesca: Which themes do you explore?
Motherhood, reproduction and the fragility of life. The more work I produce the more I identify recurring themes, objects and symbolism. Being a twin myself and having twins has also found its way into my work where I find I defy the rule of odds and often work in twos or fours, and sometimes sixes encompassing my immediate family.
Francesca: Do you have a signature style?
In my paintings, I use bright, bold colours which I apply as flat forms. Having said that, I really enjoy exploring new techniques including texture and washes which I have combined in some of my work. My sculptures are all conceptual and I use all kinds of materials.
Francesca: What is your medium and preferred scale?
For my paintings, I love acrylic because I can work fast. I have so many ideas that I need to get on canvas! I sometimes work simultaneously on two or three paintings while the paint dries so I can remain in the zone. I prefer large scale paintings. I have noticed the general public are a little hesitant to invest in large scale. If you think about it, the space above a sofa, for example, is fairly big and it is more impactful to fill that space, rather than have a small piece of art in the centre of it. The more one looks around their flat/house, the more one realises there are possibilities to accommodate bigger works of art.
Francesca: Tell us about your latest collection.
As a mother of four children, I have focused most of my energy on their emotional, physical, spiritual and academic well-being through a conceptual artist style. Since they are now all in their teenage years and exercising their independence, I am in turn, regaining my freedom and headspace. Whilst I have begun to relish this shift in my life, there is an impending sense of redundancy. This, coupled with peri-menopause, is an emotionally confusing time.
After researching and talking to women going through this change in their life, I thought I would encapsulate this into a collection of paintings, with a twist! I chose to focus on the positive side of the changes women experience through humour and vibrant colours. Femella, from the Latin word meaning young woman, is the name of this new collection. The women in the paintings are depicted as young at heart and joyful as they mask the trials and tribulations imposed upon them by society, law and culture. They internalise the physical and emotional shift.
This collection is a celebration of all women. A combination of Matisse’s female figures as well as Louise Bourgeois’ sculptures and drawings Femme Maison, 1994, inspired one of the paintings in the collection, Heather. They are all titled after popular names given in early 1970s and each one deals with a handful of symptoms in a surreal and conceptual artist style. Patricia has a domestic object to convey a literal meaning whilst Sandra displays anguish through symbolism. I am also in the process of making sculptures from these paintings which are reminiscent of the Goddess of Fertility stone carvings which we are all familiar with in Malta. This is an ongoing collection which will undeniably reflect the changes I witness in myself and other women.
Francesca: How has your practice changed over time?
My earlier work highlights the fragility of life, 3D Photo Album, 2005. Celeida Tostes’ egg shaped clay sculptures and video performance deal with this topic in a similar way. This theme came about when I first became a mother. I explored it through drawings, eggshell sculptures, photography and resin work. I also identify with Mona Hatoum’s Measure of Distance exhibition, 2016 where domestic objects become very significant in daily, mundane routines when you are isolated and homebound as a young mother. I recently discovered Sophie Erbard’s photography collection I Didn’t Want to Be a Mum, 2019. My current work reflects my journey as I mature into middle age. I see my work make an inevitable return to the theme of fragility of life.
Francesca: What are your future plans?
I am very excited about where my Psychology degree is going to take me. It will feed into my artwork. I am also aiming to keep building the Femella collection for an exhibition in December in the UK and I would love to explore Maltese galleries and bring my artworks back to my roots.
Francesca: Where can we see your work?
My website is updated regularly www.angelelautier.com
For more about processes, ideas and snapshots of related themes, you may follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angele_lautier_artist/
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Francesca Fenech Conti is passionate about social issues and has a BA in Social Policy. She is the Founder and creator of the women only facebook group Women for Women (Malta) and the Women for Women Foundation that works hand in hand with other NGOs and businesses to empower and support women, especially single mothers.
Francesca recently also launched Wham.com.mt to provide a much needed space on the local media scene to promote women’s voices and to provide women with a source of information regarding their general wellbeing.
Click here to check out Francesca’s full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles
