Léa Mestres

Based between Paris and Audierne, Mestres creates colourful objects that stand out as bold, irreverent statements. Her research-driven work is inspired by idiosyncratic, stylised and absurd approaches that generate unrestrained expression, drawing from pop culture, music, fashion, modern art and the natural world. Mestres sculpts lamps and tables using materials like plaster, cement and metal, imbuing them with individuality through hand-crafted process. She plays with scale and proportionality to produce voluminous, oversized objects that have a dreamlike character. Embracing childish and instinctual creative impulses, Mestres believes it is vital to design objects that bring joy to others. These functional artworks are intentionally bright and playful, as a reflection of the artist’s own personality. Often naming her pieces after friends, family members or fictional characters, Mestres imbues them with a sense of personality and heightens their anthropomorphic quality. Mestres' debut Craving for Crépi collection features sculptural lamps that the artist makes by carving into foam before covering them in her own special plaster. With organic shapes, tactile surfaces and vivid paint, the works celebrate imperfection and freedom through their experimental approach to texture, size and colour. The more recent Welcome to Mestresville is a series of lighting pieces and tables that use colourful mosaic tiles to depict different landscapes inspired by time spent by the artist in places like Barcelona, Dubai and the south of France.