THE ARTS

Finding Home

Author/ Being Neighbourly
11 November 2024

I was a chameleon before, trying out lots of different hats but now I am more mature”, says French artist Elsa Jeandedieu of her work. Where she previously moulded herself to fit what clients wanted, she is now quite literally pouring clay, exactly the way she wants. Today, when clients contact her, they want her ideas, her inspiration. They want a Jeandedieu.

Jeandedieu’s participation in the upcoming Being Neighbourly exhibition Transitions is fitting given her own transitions in recent years: her professional journey to greater independence, yes, but also the personal transition of entering motherhood, which has profoundly affected her.

“I was a member of the expat community but was looking for more community,” she says.

“I was trying out lots of different hats...”

Elsa Jeandedieu

She found this in motherhood and indeed, the seeking of family was also a reason Jeandedieu had come to Hong Kong in the first place.

“France was so settled, so I moved. I had to escape the predictability of life in France and seek new adventures,” she says, in a sentiment that the rest of us who have a very romantic view of the country find hard to believe.

Though her brother and his family who had previously lived in Hong Kong, moved to Singapore, they have now returned to Hong Kong and Jeandedieu now has a family of her own, expanding the family fold in the territory— a “completely not creative husband. He’s actually colour blind,” she laughs, and a two-year old son.

Since the birth of her son, Jeandedieu has created three series. The first was inspired by her infancy — growing up in the south of France: “sensations such as snuggling up to my mother”. The current, third series is about the interplay of the vegetal and urban in Hong Kong. It’s as if the birth of her son necessitated this process, cycling through her own life and arriving at a new place — as a mature self, a mother.

“France was so settled so I moved… I had to escape the predictability.”

Elsa Jeandedieu

“Covid did not affect the studio much,” says Jeandedieu; and, a glimpse around the studio attests it to be sizeable, peopled (she employs three staff) and organised with the studio facing the street and separated from the front part where her staff work and she offers visitors cups of tea — in my case, a Mariage des Frères tea. Nicknamed ‘Blue tea’ for its hue — we periodically peer at it and debate whether it’s not more of a green than a blue.

“Come, let’s take a look!” she says, beckoning me over to ‘the sacred space’ — her workshop, an extraordinarily tidy window onto her creative process: paintings neatly packed, ready to be sent to an upcoming exhibition at an interior design shop or clients; paintings in process and tubs upon tubs of plaster and dye atop a table; rolls of tape…

The chances are that you’ve seen a Jeandedieu: she’s created much of the street art around Central and, if you’re prone to eating out, you may also have seen work of hers on interior walls. Many of her clients are well-known, household names from the upper echelons of their fields: Diptyque and The Aubrey, the Mandarin Oriental.

When she’s not creating, Jeandedieu, an avid trail runner, is running over the hills. Catch her if you can…

Being Neighbourly welcomes Elsa Jeandedieu’s participation in our inaugural art exhibition, Transitions, November 21-25 at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre.

Jeandedieu shares 3 things that have influenced her creatively

Pierre Soulages’ studies around the colour black

Pierre Soulages, renowned for his black paintings known as ‘Outrenoir’, meaning ‘beyond black’, has deeply influenced me. His breathtaking usage of black, bold brushstrokes and manipulation of texture have inspired me to embrace the boundless possibilities present within a seemingly monochromatic palette. His artistry has instilled in me the courage to embrace the textures and create my own expressive narratives.

Hong Kong, where the jungle intertwines with the urban jungle

Over two decades ago, I started a new chapter of my life in Hong Kong. Apart from adapting to a foreign environment, I had to navigate the transformation of my creativity to this new setting. The city, the people and the sense of disconnection I felt compelled me to reconnect through my art, painting smiling people. Despite the bustling urban life, I found unexpected inspiration in the idea of a vibrant jungle intertwined with the urban, concrete one.

Motherhood pushed me to reconnect with my inner child

Motherhood has transformed my vision about work, reshaping me on multiple levels and pushing me to recognize my disconnection from my inner child. The birth of my son, Noam, aligned with the reawakening of my artistic spirit. As a result, I launched my first exhibition titled Reminiscence and embarked on a new chapter of creating in my signature style.