To stand among Léa Mestres’ outsized sculptures is to journey through the looking glass and enter a world of the French artist’s colourful imagination. Her show Family Business is reminiscent of Carsten Holler’s rooms filled with giant mushrooms, or Nikki de Saint Phalle’s iconic Tarot Garden in Italy. Mestres draws from a wide range of popular culture, from the absolute pink of fashion designer Valentino to rapper Missy Elliot’s music videos, condensing this vivid imagery into the textured columns of her sculptures which also reference crépi, a rough concrete plaster ubiquitous across France and Europe. Highly research-driven, Mestres counters notions of ‘feminine art’, ignoring expectations, re-appropriating stereotypes and prioritising joy in her work at all costs. Named after friends of hers, Mestres’ three towering artworks Stacy, Suzy and Jessy are all personified as larger-than-life characters.
Léa Mestres Family Business
Los Angeles
20 Sep 2023 – 24 Jan 2024
Harry Nuriev, Léa Mestres and Martin Laforêt present concurrent solo shows at Carpenters Workshop Gallery Los Angeles, entitled Denim House, Family Business and Variations respectively. Although presented separately, the exhibitions provide a cohesive look at the talents of the three artists currently defining the next generation of contemporary art.
Exhibition Statement
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Artist
Léa Mestres
Léa Mestres is a French artist and designer based in Vernon, Giverny.
Mestres counters a design world that in her opinion often feels too serious and too masculine.
