Exploring Emotions Through Form and Light
- Anne-Sophie MESLEM
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Interview with Anne-Sophie MESLEM
1. Tell us about yourself — who are you as an artist?
Since childhood, I’ve felt a deep, almost visceral need to create. As a little girl, I was drawn to creativity through sewing, inventing small accessories, and dreaming of distant lands — somewhere between a young activist and a mini Lara Croft, haha.
At 13, I filled sketchbooks with charcoal drawings, completely absorbed by textures, shadows, and emotions. That’s when I truly realized how creation could express what words could not.
Between 14 and 15, I took classes at my local community center, worked in a small studio, and ran to Marché Saint-Pierre in Paris to find fabrics, nurturing my dream of becoming a fashion designer. Then, at 16, I opened a MySpace page as a young self-taught graphic designer — my first step into the digital world.
That blend of curiosity and passion never left me. My art remains intimate, emotional, and feminine. I am deeply inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and Niki de Saint Phalle — women who created powerful, poetic universes that combine strength and vulnerability. Like them, I explore how inner landscapes and emotions can take shape through the body, color, and gesture.
2. What does a normal day as an artist look like?
A typical day doesn’t really follow a fixed schedule — I never quite know how it will unfold, and I like it that way. Some days I spend in quiet observation, reading, listening to music, or wandering the city to gather impressions. Other days, I’m fully immersed in the studio, sketching or painting, experimenting with shapes, colors, and textures. Afternoons might be for photography, editing, or planning new projects. I’ve learned that the unexpected often brings the most inspiration. Evenings are for reflection and small rituals: tea, notes, and letting ideas simmer before sleep.
3. What inspires you?
Everything that bears the traces of life — a gesture, a curve, a silence. The female body, in particular, fascinates me because it holds so many stories: birth, strength, loss, desire, transformation. I love contrasts — tenderness and rage, stillness and movement, light and shadow. My work explores how vulnerability can become strength through creation.
4. How does art impact other parts of your life?
Creating deeply affects my daily life: it sharpens my sensitivity, teaches patience, and helps me process emotions. It also strengthens my relationships — sharing art opens conversations that words alone sometimes cannot express.
5. What difficulties or hardships have you faced?
Early in my twenties, as a young independent photojournalist, I faced situations where I wasn’t always fully respected — proposals that were inappropriate, gestures that crossed boundaries. Fortunately, there are also many allies who speak out and support ethical behavior. These experiences taught me to assert my place, recognize my value, and stay true to my artistic vision. Knowing your worth changes everything.
6. How has your artistic journey evolved?
It has always been intuitive — a way to understand and connect. Later, I took a short Persian course at INALCO, which profoundly influenced my artistic journey, awakening a new sensitivity to rhythm, poetry, and silence. Around that time, I also completed a documentary photography internship at CE3P – School of Photography and Image Techniques and joined the school’s photography club, where I discovered the power of images to tell human stories.
These experiences deepened my artistic language: my art became a space for observation and healing, a bridge between worlds and emotions.
7. What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently developing larger paintings inspired by the female body — minimalist silhouettes created with different types of brushes, and sometimes even with my fingers, surrounded by tiny pearls, with touches of black and fuchsia on white backgrounds. There are flowing cascades of hair, improbable shapes, and bodies that seem to breathe. My apartment is slowly turning into a small museum filled with emotion and light.
My mind never stops — it’s always analyzing, imagining, and generating ideas (sometimes faster than I can keep up, haha).
8. What’s next for you?
To keep exploring. I want to protect my curiosity, continue creating between intuition and thought, and transform emotions into something luminous — authentic, powerful, and liberating. To create and share remains the most beautiful gift of all.
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thatfrenchtouch/
