Tiny Talks is an interview series with Tiny Spoon’s talented contributors. This week we spoke with Isabelle Duverger from Issue 8, Cut/Copy/Paste: The Original! Find her artwork, “Handwriting” and “The Other” in our eighth issue!
Tiny Spoon: What kindles your creativity?
Isabelle: I think we are in a connected world, where inspiration comes from our surrounding, whether it is emotions, the physical environment, people. It is a constant feed, and I try to be a translator.
Tiny Spoon: Are there any artists/ heroines/ idols/ friends that you look up to?
Isabelle: A lot of my friends are artists I admire, starting with Laia Cabrera, Sophie Thiam, Claire Poisson. And of course, inspirational women, such as Maya Angelou, Louise Bourgeois, Niki de Saint Phalle, Romaine Brooks, Simone Veil…
Tiny Spoon: We love insight into the creative process. Could you share what it is like for you, either with your work that appears in Tiny Spoon or in general?
Isabelle: My work either come from an image I construct in my mind, or an emotion I would like to convey. The second speaks to the two collages that are published in Tiny Spoon – Issue 8, “Handwriting” and “The Other”, as well as my latest painting series “Love #”. I seek to be descriptive of an emotion, which is intangible, a longing.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have any current or future projects that you are working on that you would like to share?
Isabelle: “Love #” is the latest work I have been working on during the pandemic, born from the need to be closer physically, while social distancing. The series portrays the affection, the love between two women. It is sensual without being sexual. The lines formed by the bodies are created to convey harmony, balance, and connection. The absence of features makes them anonymous but at the same time allows one to identify freely.
Isabelle: The colors are minimalistic, gold, silver and black matte. As they reflect their environment, the paintings are alive and evolve throughout the day, focusing on the gesture of the two women, and the shapes and energy of the lines. The shapes of the body are generous, powerful and sensual, as a reference to the Nanas of Niki de Saint Phalle.
The symbolic use of gold brings a sacred feeling of light and elevation to the intimacy of these women.
Isabelle: As a queer artist, the subject is of course a personal and emotional one. Two women together are often portrayed as sexual objects, or their sexual drive is put in the forefront. I wanted to paint the love and the care that these two women have for one another in their intimacy, the sensuality they communicate in the closeness to one another, but most of all, convey their love.
Isabelle: I also created with Laia Cabrera and immersive interactive video and sound installation named “Dream-e-scape”. It just opened at Flutter Art Gallery in Los Angeles and will be there a year.
Tiny Spoon: What book, artwork, music, etc., would you recommend to others?
Isabelle: Books: Marie Ndiaye – Three Strong Women is a work that has impacted me a lot, as well as Maya Angelou – The Heart of a Woman
I am completely obsessed with the soundtrack of Obsession, and its variations for Brass. And everything Arooj Aftab.
Artwork is a difficult one, so much to think about. I love immersive installations, in particular “Forêt” of Eva Jospin. I saw recently the work of Urs Fisher “Untitled (Hanging Branches)” which also impacted me, the feeling of time passing, and what remains.
Tiny Spoon: Is there anything else you would like others to know about you, your creations, or beyond?
Isabelle: No idea… I am a French artist based in the US where I lived for fifteen years already. I come back to France often, to Paris and mostly the countryside to refill myself with inspiration and nature. It is an essential part of my creative process.
Tiny Spoon: Where can people learn more about what you do?
Isabelle: My website: isabelleduverger.com and Instagram: @isabelleduverger
