Lauriane Lasselin interview: The possibilities of visual expression

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At the age of 19, Lauriane Lasselin moved from France to the Netherlands. In total, she spent more than 10 years studying all aspects of art and design. Although she is passionate about modern and contemporary art, Lauriane also spends a portion of her time as a business administrator.

Lauriane Lasselin reveals the influence her grandmother has had on her work, her approach to creating abstract art, and how she draws inspiration from music.

Lauriane Lasselin – The Wall (207cm x 132cm), 2015

The most fascinating stories

TextileArtist.org: What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

Lauriane Lasselin: My grandmother, Yveth Bessoule, is an amateur graphic artist and painter. She used to renovate antique dolls and the precision of her work fascinated me. Studying art was her dream as a young woman but instead becoming a dressmaker was decided for her.

She has now been passionately taking art courses for many years, and her studio is packed with paintings and sketches.

I can’t get enough of staring at one of her paintings in my living room.

As a child or teen, I would sit in her studio – the heart of her soul for 30 years – and draw while she would be busy writing her autobiography, painting the face of a doll, or typing labels on a typewriter. She always has something to do and when she takes the time to share it with me, she tells me the most fascinating stories.

What was your route to becoming an artist?

My high interest in modern and contemporary art triggered my relatives to guide me to study art. I would have preferred to study something else, although I didn’t know what. So I applied for art preparatory courses and made my decision to move at the age of 19 from Le Blanc-Mesnil (France) to Utrecht (The Netherlands).

In addition to four years of studying art in high school, I spent six years at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie exploring all possibilities of visual expression from design to fine arts.

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

Lauriane Lasselin – Raw Necklaces (2015)

When the work is ready

Tell us a bit about your process and what environment you like to work in.

Usually I make work by listening to and drawing inspiration from music. Other times, I work in silence for hours, alone, until very late at night. I stop when totally exhausted and when the work is ready for a break.

Do you use a sketchbook?

I never sketch anything. I have it in my head and it becomes an obsession until it’s materialized.

If I start sketching, it just becomes fake and it doesn’t work for me. It’s just like preparing a diet plan or an exercise schedule: if you don’t really want to do it, then it’s not going to work out.

I’ve seen artists struggling and hoping to find inspiration by scribbling things on paper. When I don’t want to, I don’t make anything for months and I’m fine with it. But when I do, I know what I’m doing and I go for it.

What currently inspires you and which other artists do you admire and why?

I like to look at other artists’ work but I can never remember a name and that’s okay. I don’t need people to remember mine because, to me, contemporary art is meant only for a few to really understand. Most people don’t get it and neither do I.

Lauriane Lasselin – Sur le fil (2015), detail

Lauriane Lasselin – Sur le fil (2015)

Making abstract work

Tell us about a piece of work you have fond memories of and why?

Louise Bourgeoise, Legs, 1986 see below.

Louise -Bourgeois – Legs (1986)

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

I feel free and I don’t need to justify myself anymore. I used to try to suppress the figurative approach I took to making abstract work. It was art to me, but I don’t have feel the need to make this type of consideration anymore.

I see my work becoming more open. I don’t feel the need to repeat the success I have already had.

You can find more information here: www.laurianelasselin.com

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