Meet the artists behind the art :
Get to know the 31 women shaping the ELLE 80th Anniversary exhibition.
Explore their profiles, discover their stories, and understand the inspirations behind each unique piece. From emerging voices to iconic names, every artist brings a powerful perspective, and a bold vision.
ARAVANI ART PROJECT
India
The Aravani Art Project uses murals to highlight trans and marginalized communities, turning public spaces into platforms for visibility and dialogue. Their vibrant, floral motifs symbolize resilience, friendship, and the strength of community, making each artwork a powerful statement of belonging and hope.
Marcella BARCELO
Spain – 32 years old
Marcella draws inspiration from wild children myths, exploring otherness and alternative worldviews. Her work imagines a new family connected not to the earth but to the sky, symbolizing freedom and new wisdom.
Portrait © Claire O’KEEFE
CACHETEJACK
Spain – 37 years old
Known for blending bold colors and abstract forms, Cachetejack’s work explores identity, emotion, and urban culture with a dynamic, raw energy. Their art often challenges conventional boundaries through layered textures and expressive compositions.
Irene CATTANEO
Italy – 35 years old
Irene’s art merges delicate lines with organic forms, exploring themes of femininity, nature, and transformation. Her subtle use of color and texture creates intimate, poetic visuals that invite reflection on identity and growth.
Mia CHAPLIN
South Africa – 34 years old
Mia Chaplin explores sensuality, nature, and intimacy through expressive, textured painting. Her work often centers on the female body, celebrating freedom, vulnerability, and a deep connection to the natural world.
Marion CHARLET
France – 35 years old
Marion Charlet is a French artist known for her vibrant, color-saturated paintings that merge lush natural elements with architectural spaces. Her work explores themes of femininity, sensuality, and illusion, often using still life and interior scenes to reflect on desire and the intimate.
Angela DE LA CRUZ
Spain – 59 years old
Angela de la Cruz transforms paintings into sculptural forms, exploring fragility, failure, and resilience. Her deconstructed canvases reflect the body and emotion with raw, physical intensity.
Valérie FAVRE
Switzerland- 64 years old
Valérie Favre produces layered paintings blending surrealism and narrative. Her work explores memory, identity, and social themes. She uses bold, symbolic imagery to challenge perceptions. Her art invites viewers to question reality and personal history.
Portrait © Severine OPPLIGER
Sacha FLOCH POLIAKOFF
France – 28 years old
Sacha Floch Poliakoff explores the intersection of classical and contemporary art through textured, figurative works. Her paintings evoke mystery and poetic narratives. She combines layered surfaces with nuanced color palettes. Her art invites reflection on identity and memory.
Portrait © Sacha FLOCH POLIAKOFF
Katrin FRIDRIKS
Iceland – 50 years old
Katrin Fridriks creates dynamic abstract paintings that capture movement, energy, and natural forces like wind and gravity. Her swirling lines and vivid colors evoke chaos and transformation, blending organic forms with raw power. She often experiments with scale and materials to amplify the immersive experience.
Portrait © Catalina SOUR VASQUEZ
FUH-MI
Japan – 55 years old
Fuh-Mi is a calligrapher who transforms traditional scripts into contemporary abstract art. Her work merges calligraphy with painting, creating textured layers rich in cultural symbolism. She explores identity, memory, and resilience through vibrant, dynamic compositions. Her art bridges heritage and modern expression.
Makiko FURUICHI
France/Japan – 37 years old
Makiko draws inspiration from everyday life, nature, and storytelling across mediums. Her work blends spontaneity and precision, using watercolor for its fluidity and oil painting to build layered narratives. Influenced by her background in calligraphy, her practice reflects both emotional depth and quiet observation.
Elisabeth GAROUSTE
France – 79 years old
Elisabeth Garouste is a French artist and designer known for blending traditional craftsmanship with bold, expressive forms. Her work often combines sculpture, furniture, and mixed media, creating pieces that are both functional and poetic. She explores texture, color, and shape to challenge conventions and evoke emotional responses.
Lee HYUN JOUNG
South Korea – 53 years old
Lee Hyun Joung blends traditional Korean techniques with contemporary abstraction. She works primarily with Hanji paper and black ink, creating textured, meditative landscapes. Her paintings explore memory, spirituality, and the passage of time. Each piece invites quiet reflection and a sense of inner journey.
Mari ITO
Japan – 45 years old
Mari Ito blends traditional Japanese materials like Oguni washi with contemporary painting techniques. Her works reflect on history and personal memory, often through layered, textured compositions. She addresses themes of peace, desire, and resilience using symbolic imagery.
Laurence JENKELL
France – 59 years old
Laurence Jenkell sculpts with vibrant, iridescent plexiglas to explore color and form. Her works embody femininity through shifting light and dynamic shapes. She celebrates playfulness and strength in polished, candy-like sculptures. Laurence Jenkell’s art combines elegance with a bold, joyful presence.
Claire LINDNER
France – 42 years old
Claire Lindner creates ceramic sculptures inspired by the body and nature. Her organic forms evoke movement, growth, and transformation. She explores the tension between fragility and strength through fluid, sensual shapes. Her work reflects a deep connection to emotion, material, and space.
Ileana MAGODA
Mexico – 39 years old
Ileana Magoda is a Mexican artist focusing on resilience and transformation. Her vibrant paintings use ocean imagery to explore feminine power and mythology. She captures emotional depth through dynamic, flowing forms. Her work invites reflection on memory and myth.
Inès MÉLIA
France – 35 years old
Inès Mélia is a French artist known for transforming everyday objects into poetic sculptures. Her work often explores themes of domestic life, language, and the interplay between form and meaning. She employs a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, and sound design, to create immersive and thought-provoking pieces.
Portrait © Laurène BOUAZIZ
Janaina MELLO LANDINI
Brazil – 50 years old
Janaina Mello Landini is a Brazilian artist whose work merges architecture, physics, and mathematics to explore interconnectedness. Her “Ciclotrama” series features intricately unbraided ropes forming organic, web-like patterns. Landini’s installations, exhibited globally, transform spaces into immersive experiences.
Portrait © Mauro FIGA
Ramona NORDAL
Canada – 56 years old
Ramona Nordal is a Canadian artist known for her bold, colorful portraits blending traditional and modern influences. Her work often features stylized female figures with vintage and pop art elements. Nordal’s use of vibrant color palettes and graphic patterns creates a dynamic visual impact.
Ntombephi NTOBELA
South Africa – 58 years old
Ntombephi Ntobela of Ubuhle : Beautiful Beads (1998) developed the art form “The Ndwango” with co-founder Bev Gibson. Born an artist, inspired by nature and highly skilled in the Xhosa tradition of beading, Ntombephi’s art celebrates femininity and beauty; defying and transcending cultural and language restrictions.
Françoise PÉTROVITCH
France – 61 years old
Françoise Pétrovitch blends drawing, ceramics, and glass to explore fragile human-animal relationships. Her ink works capture tender, intimate moments with subtle contrasts. She investigates vulnerability and emotional connection through fluid forms. Her art challenges boundaries between mediums and identities.
Portrait © Hervé PLUMET – Courtesy Semiose, Paris
Pia-Maria RAEDER
Germany – 46 years old
Pia Maria Raeder creates sculptural furniture inspired by natural forms. Her work blends art and design, emphasizing craftsmanship and sustainability. She explores organic shapes and cosmic themes in pieces that function as both art and furniture. Raeder’s designs challenge traditional boundaries between utility and sculpture.
Shourouk RHAIEM
Tunis/France – 45 years old
Shourouk Rhaiem is a French-Tunisian designer known for her opulent, Swarovski-encrusted creations. Drawing inspiration from her Tunisian heritage, Bollywood, and 1980s glamour, she transforms everyday items into dazzling artworks.
Ghizlane SAHLI
Morocco – 52 years old
Ghizlane Sahli is a Moroccan artist who transforms recycled materials into intricate, three-dimensional embroideries. Her “Alvéoles” technique involves covering plastic bottle caps with silk thread to create organic, cellular forms. Sahli draws inspiration from nature, the human body, and architectural structures.
Portrait © Cédrick-Isham CALVADOS
Anastasia SAMOYLOVA
USA – 40 years old
Anastasia Samoylova is a Russian-born American photographer based in Miami. Her work blends observational and studio photography to explore environmental and urban landscapes. She is known for her series FloodZone, which examines the impact of sea-level rise in South Florida. Her exhibitions include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Saatchi Gallery.
Hadieh SHAFIE
Iran/USA – 55 years old
Hadieh Shafie is an Iranian-American artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work merges drawing, painting, and sculpture, focusing on repetition and time. She creates low-relief paper sculptures using tightly coiled strips bearing Farsi calligraphy, often incorporating the word “eshgh” (love/passion). Her pieces are in major collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The British Museum.
Portrait © Erin COLLETT
Joana VASCONCELOS
Portugal – 54 years old
Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese artist renowned for her large-scale installations that blend everyday objects with traditional crafts. She often uses textiles, ceramics, and household items to create monumental sculptures, challenging perceptions of femininity and domesticity. Vasconcelos has exhibited at prestigious venues like the Venice Biennale and the Château de Versailles.
Portrait © Arlindo Camacho
Olga YAMEOGO
Burkina Faso/France – 59 years old
Olga Yameogo explores identity and migration through intimate portraits. She blends African and European influences in her colors and themes. Her work highlights the strength and complexity of human experience. Painting is her way to connect personal and cultural histories.
Portrait © Aurélie Jocelyn TIFFY
Chou YI
Taiwan – 40 years old
Chou Yi is a Taiwanese artist focusing on women’s strength and individuality. She uses soft colors and delicate lines to express resilience and quiet power. Her work challenges social norms with subtlety and grace. She highlights courage and beauty across all stages of life.
To view the artworks in person, check the exhibition dates by clicking below.
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