“By assuming imperfection, I seek to restore meaning to the image. In doing so, I raise the question of our fragility, both human and environmental, and that of the beauty that arises from scars.”
Enjoy yourself or give someone else pleasure with limited editions and small original works.
Gwenaëlle Le Mée received the prestigious Jean Larivière Prize at the Orangerie du Sénat at the Salon National des Beaux Arts 2024 in Paris.
The visual artist's works are on display at the Bettina Gallery in the Saint-Germain-des-Près in Paris and at the Sophie Le Mée Gallery on the Île de Ré, on the French Atlantic coast.
Sublimating wounds
A graduate in Fine Arts from the Sorbonne university (Paris, France), Gwenaëlle Le Mée's universe borders on the dreamlike, where she gives herself complete creative freedom, combining photography, sculpture, and painting. Her technique is akin to alchemy, the proportions of which are the result of multiple explorations across the arts. Each medium is reinvented, juxtaposed, and repurposed to create a vibrant material.
"Photography is my primary medium. I then transfer the print onto wood, a vibrant material that allows me to sand, carve, and even “damage” the image, then reinvent it through glazes, inks, paint, pastels, gold leaf, etc., according to my inspiration. The incidents of transfer are then “sublimated” to give life to a unique work, like our own existence. I try to transcribe my perception and feelings at the moment of shooting, letting chance play its part in the creative process. Photography then becomes matter and emotion."
The relief created, in total freedom, reveals the wounds, the wear and tear of time, the accidents, in a recomposed harmony. A sublimated vision of our world today.
"Life is fleeting, where everything is movement and transformation depending on what we decide to do with it. This impermanence of existence should encourage us to live passionately in the present moment and believe in our dreams. We all suffer from emotional wounds, stemming from our childhood experiences, which shape our adult personalities. Breaking out of our familiar patterns and letting go of this baggage is not easy. Love, gentleness, and beauty are healing ingredients. This is where my work as a visual artist takes shape as a form of artistic therapy, if I may say so. Starting from the real world, experimenting again and again, accepting flaws and accidents, observing, evolving by taking a step back, and finally sublimating the wounds."
les oeuvres uniques
les multiples
les éditions limitées
le sur-mesure
Her story
Born in 1967, Gwenaëlle Le Mée spent her childhood between Antibes in the south of France and holidays in Brittany, before pursuing a professional career in Paris and overseas. She now lives on the Île de Ré, facing the Atlantic Ocean.
His interest in art began as a gentle sketch, a recreational activity, and a family atmosphere. This taste for aesthetics quickly entered his professional life.
Journalist, artistic director, editor—her favorite subjects have always been images and words set to rhythm in a text, layout, montage, broadcast, or book.
Then came the time of temptation, necessary to experiment, to test, to practice. After taking various technical courses and workshops in Paris and abroad—including a long period living between Doha and Beirut—and earning a degree in fine arts from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris, he initially gravitated toward abstraction, which offered complete freedom. The rediscovery of his old Olympus film camera at the bottom of a box rekindled his interest in the object and the technique. It was obvious.
Where to find his unique artworks
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2, rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
du lundi au vendredi, 14h – 19h
samedi, 11h – 19hMétro : Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Ligne 4)
Bus : 39 et 95 (station Jacob) -
42, rue Charles Biret
17630 La Flotte
Ile de Ré – Francewww.galeriesophielemee.com
Follow the addition of his latest works on her Instagram account
or on the “unique pieces available” page for sale in the gallery or studio.
