Portrait of Madi - A French painter calling Lisbon home
Exploring the Creative Journey: An Interview with Madi
Join us as we delve into the artistic world of Madi, a talented painter based in Lisbon. In this talk, Madi shares insights into her background, creative process, and sources of inspiration. From her beginnings in Antibes to her transformative experiences in Brussels and exhibitions in the US, Madi's journey is one of exploration, growth, and profound artistic expression. What touches us when talking with Madi is her passion for art, her love for Lisbon, and her unwavering commitment to the pursuit of beauty and meaning in every brushstroke.
Madi posing in front of her work
1. Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Madi, I'm a painter. I'm 37 years old and I've been living in Lisbon for 3 years now. Madi is my middle name, Madeleine (in tribute to my great-grandmother). I chose it as my artist name very intuitively. I like to keep a certain distance and I love the idea of being hidden behind this name.
2. What brought you to this point (your professional background, education, events...)?
I was born in Antibes, I moved when I was 3 years old (and then moved from house to house in the southwest of France). I studied art and painting at La Cambre School in Brussels, an intense and incredible experience, which I often think about in my creative process. This education gave me the tools to venture out independently and I quickly started working for myself. I started with graphic design for clothing brands, while also developing my work as an artist on the side. As my collaborations progressed, my black & white work evolved into painting. My first solo exhibition took place in 2020 at the Legion gallery in San Francisco. Since then, I have devoted my time to painting, on canvas and for murals. I lived in Biarritz for 8 years and moved to Lisbon in 2021. The main reason for this change is Love. A life change that nurtured and inevitably initiated a new phase in my work. This upheaval materialized in my paintings and Lisbon took its place in my daily life. This city is very calming, I love its slow pace, daily life is easy, and people are particularly kind.
3. Do you have a particular approach to your projects and designs?
I try to start each project with a fresh perspective. I like to push myself and explore new perspectives. A project is an opportunity to move forward and progress. I always keep in mind the need to step out of my comfort zone, it's not always easy to do. You have to savor this journey, this exploration, it's very stimulating and nourishing.
Works - Photos courtesy of Madi
4. Is there a specific type of project you particularly enjoy working on?
My favorite area is painting, and I like to take breaks in different worlds to come back to it better.
5. What motivates you to create?
It's visceral, like an obvious desire to punctuate my daily life with poetry. I love this magical atmosphere of creation, being in my studio, thinking about a concept, a mural, a canvas, starting from nothing and giving birth, it's addictive. I think art is the guarantor of good mental health. Painting is a necessity, a balance. Each canvas is a meditative journey, I project stories, I replay conversations, memories, music sets the rhythm and I am in the moment.
Drawings of Madi
6. Where do you find your inspiration?
This question is always difficult for me. I don't have precise words, I often answer "if I could say it, I wouldn't paint it". Obviously, you can see influences in my work, I was very influenced by the cubist and abstract period, the paintings of Fernand Léger, the cutouts of Matisse, or the work of Sonia Delaunay. I also really like Brancusi's work. When I'm in my studio, the energy of the place conditions me to create. My canvases surround me, I can spend long moments observing before acting. A color releases a scent, a shade emanates from a smile, a line represents musicality. I feel a bit the same phenomenon when I cook, I associate according to a sudden desire, I taste, I am invested in the moment and I savor it. The taste determines the experience, it is the same for a canvas. I visualize a path, a journey, color ingredients that associate and their dosage is intuitively crucial. The choice of colors is like a game, it emanates from an affective desire to stage tones that soothe me and the simple fact of painting changes the flavor of the moment. It's an intimate world that fills up with scenarios. Like a tête-à-tête, my thoughts float, dance, sometimes gather around a table and they exchange. My approach is instinctive. I seek amazement, that moving moment when shapes work, they take their place and compose a world. I always have in mind this sentence from Agnès Varda "if we opened people, we would find landscapes".
Madi at work - painting an on site fresque
7. How would you describe your creative process?
When I paint I build scenarios in my head. The lines embody a world that takes shape as I go along. I walk through landscapes, infinite curves, and the human presence takes its place in imaginary places. This phenomenon is even more present when I paint murals. I love the fact of working on a painting in situ. I think about color ranges so that the work fits in and brings a touch of magic. Whether for hotels or individuals, I am always amazed to see this vibration and feel the energy of the place change as the painting comes to life. My studio is a particularly sacred place, it is a cocoon, filled with light from morning to night. I have installed objects that matter and (for some) that I have kept by my side for years. I have a large studio so that I can compartmentalize, work on canvas, preparatory drawings for murals, my future collaborations… I spend a lot of time looking, sorting, selecting, throwing away, I like to lose myself in past drawings, keep a piece and start another story…
8. What do you think is your best creation/project, and does it have symbolic value for you?
My solo exhibition in New York last May. I had the chance to showcase my work in the sublime Hashimoto Contemporary gallery in the Lower East Side. It had been a dream for years, I am very happy to have experienced it. A bit like a tipping point, after this experience I gained confidence and I want to continue dreaming.
Madi’s atelier
9. Do you have a mentor whose work you'd like to share?
It's hard to choose, I would say that I admire perseverance, creativity, altruism, and humility.
10. What are your favorite places in Lisbon (or any other city where you live)?
The Graça neighborhood and its panoramic view of Lisbon.
11. Do you have any specific information you'd like to share with us?
For the past few months, I have been developing my work in volume. From ceramics to wood, it's an exciting new approach. As a background, I have to create works for a hotel, it's an ambitious project that pushes me to explore new perspectives. Working in volume is a beautiful way to be consistent, make choices in your own style, and decline. Material and volume transform and modify the aspect, each creation calls for another.
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