IMOGEN HOPE
CREATIVITY AUTHENTICITY EXPLORATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Thank you for joining us today, we are super excited to learn more about you, so pls start by sharing a bit about yourself and your journey.
I was raised between the south of France and England, studied and worked in Paris, London, Bordeaux, Lima and finally Barcelona, where I’ve spent the past few years living. I love living in a mediterranean climate, with its laid-back and open atmosphere. I am also rekindling my relationship with Paris - I find its edge and energy stimulating - and professionally, its vibrant art scene provides lots of opportunities.
I have moved around quite a lot and hope to continue to do so - Living in different countries and travelling around the world has inspired me immensely. A particular highlight was studying in Peru for a year, discovering other parts of Latin America and falling madly in love with Brazil.
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences?
Travel, energy, colour, music, light, space, people, nature, food, texture - So many things inspire me. To give a few examples, growing up surrounded by my mum’s vibrantly coloured, energetic paintings of mediterranean landscapes. Kandinsky’s compositions and visual musicality. Magic realist paintings by Remedios Varo where different elements has a symbolism that can be decrypted, yet leaving room for interpretation. Similarly, the writings by Jorge Luis Borges, representing spatial and temporal labyrinths and enigmatic themes that play with the imagination and expand the mind.
Absurdity generally is one of my favourite things whether it be verbal humour, writing or visuals - the moment where you are transported to somewhere seemingly upside down and non-sensical, but which somehow makes sense. Expressions and movement in different contexts - notably artistic and social - and how they differ from culture to culture. Classes I took when studying in Peru, relating to indigenous cultures of the Andes and Amazon, particularly Quechua - how they integrate their beautifully metaphorical language, cosmology and beliefs in day-to-day life. One of my literature professors there was also incredibly inspiring and gave a compelling insight into these cultures, full of rich anthropological, philosophical and metaphysical research. I hope to develop my own research and further integrate these areas in my artistic projects. I am particularly drawn to the concept of animism, in which everything has a spirit, essentially an energy life force, also linking to Ki, a Japanese concept (or Qi in Chinese) that greatly resound with me as well. Fuelled by my fascination with anthropomorphism - inanimate objects adopting a human-like personality - I have a small obsession with puppets and love discovering different types of puppets and puppet shows around the world. I find the sun to be hugely inspiring, especially in my styling shoots. I can spend hours and hours taking photos and only am able to stop when the sunlight disappears.
Tell us a bit about your creative process?
I love experimenting and exploring, so my creative process is ever-changing. This also has a lot to do with the different spaces I have had to adapt to in my moving around, therefore influencing how I work. For example, I currently don’t have access to a typical studio space so instead, I use different rooftops of Barcelona to play and create.
Soon after my first canvas in 2018, I began painting directly onto different types of fabric - the effects created are more delicate and nuanced, and I enjoy the unpredictability of the process. With a desire to always push my own boundaries and at the same time be more resourceful, I use the leftover paint on my palettes to make colours that I wouldn’t usually choose - colour being the first point of inspiration in making my artwork and from which I build the form.
Music plays an integral role in my work, especially in dance. Generally a useful tool in creativity, it inspires me to explore even more areas both in my body and imagination. Movement in the line and form of my paintings appeared long before I began dancing, as if subconsciously I was already paving the way to my natural transition into exploring my own physical movement, and now my current project “Ki” that combines both painting and dance.
I don’t usually plan a painting in advance, but shapes, movement and colour do appear in my mind. I love to paint freely and not set up concrete intentions. If I have quite a clear idea on what I hope to achieve, be adaptable in the process and open to what happens. « Error » is never a thing, if anything that’s where the best discoveries lie, if you pursue in pushing it. Especially not to get hung up on something that comes out differently to how I imagined. An exercise that helps reinforce the mentality I have in day-to-day life.
With regards to my styling shoots, I compare this process a lot to painting because it is essentially the same mental exercise of assembling shape, line and colour to create a final composition. In these shoots, I love playing with all kinds of natural light and shadow.
How has the pandemic affected your creativity and how do you see the world changing?
I began experimental dance during the first confinement. It emerged so naturally, influenced by the circumstances, environment, and my own state of mind. Instead of being ridden by negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, sadness, loneliness, I took to playing with the space around me, in search of a sense of mental, physical and spiritual freedom. Furthermore, after years of working on my artistic design label, while also working and studying, I was finally able to dedicate my whole time and energy to creating my first cushion collections, launched in September 2020. I intend to create other sustainable products, but for the moment, I am focusing on the development of my art.
The importance of creativity, I believe, is something that needs to be reconsidered by a lot of people and encouraged in all areas, especially education. There are numerous ways to be creative and it means so much more than just painting a picture. Learning to be creative helps sharpen the mental capacity of adaptability, problem-solving, not to mention allows the individual space to be an individual, encouraging them to push boundaries, explore and experiment. This kind of exercise is integral in a human’s development, well-being and resilience, enabling them to be more self-sufficient, resourceful, capable in seeing and seizing opportunity - qualities especially useful when in an environment lacking stability, certainty or security.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I am not really a fan of this concept. I think it is good to be inspired but if the focus is so extreme, there is a risk of becoming distracted and losing sight of what one has say, do and one’s own potential. I suppose I will always be searching for what isn’t in the spotlight because there is so much out there to be discovered and appreciated in its own right. The people I choose to surround myself with are who inspire me the most - my friends, family, new encounters and connections.
What does wellbeing mean to you, and what do you practice?
Wellbeing to me is a conscious and balanced connection between the body, mind and spirit. Dance, much like meditation, naturally helps bond them all and at the same time explore and reinforce each one individually. Maintaining a healthy psycho-emotional balance this way, as well as a solid physical core and flexibility, I find to be hugely rewarding in my daily life - helping me feel more confident, focused and calmer.
Wellbeing is also being conscious about who you surround yourself with and where you spend your time - I am very aware of how the energies of places and people can affect me, what I am able to benefit from and what is detrimental. Something that is also extremely important for me is having easy access to places that allow me space - space to be, listen, collect myself and create - away from the noise and inflicting external influences.
A small obsession of mine is having a colourful plate which, for me, makes the experience more enjoyable. Apart from fondue, which is just toooo gooood !!
Anything else you would like to share?
Some random inspirational discoveries that come to mind….
Maya Deren - Meshes of the Afternoon
Disney - Alice in Wonderland
Jan Svankmajer - Food part 1
Jiri Trnka - The Hand
Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights
Paucartambo Festival, Cusco
Günter Grass - The Tin Drum
Jorge Luis Borges - Ficciones
Kathakali performance, Kerali, India
Museu da Marioneta, Lisbon
Puppet barge, London
Commedia dell’arte
Remedios Varo - Creación de las Aves
Paracas and Moche textiles, Ancient Peru
Chimú and Chancay sculptures, Ancient Peru
Nicolas Party - Still Life
