Salty Lands by Gabrielle Monceaux
Discussion with the artist
A native of Bordeaux, Gabrielle Monceaux is an illustrator and visual artist. Her inspiration is rooted in nature and the symbolism of certain objects and animals. A militant artist, she anchors her work in intersectional feminist and environmental struggles, hoping to change hearts and minds with the help of her pencils. In spring 2023, she founded Les Mains Rebelles, a shared workshop in Bordeaux for female creators, craftswomen and artists.
For her, Salty Lands is England with its seaside, folklore and specialities. She drew her inspiration directly from her memories of trips across the Channel, and today she shares with us the mood board that inspired her to create her visuals.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I was born in Bordeaux and have been drawing since I was a little girl. My mother, who attended the École du Louvre and paints in her spare time, introduced me to art at a very early age: she regularly took me to see exhibitions and visit museums. That's where my passion for art came from. I even recently found some notebooks from when I was 10 years old, where I wrote down my favourite paintings after each exhibition.
I then studied graphic design in Bordeaux, which I loved: creating visual identities, thinking about the right colours, fonts and layouts to convey a message. After graduating, I was lucky enough to start my own business straight away. I lived in Australia, England and then Amsterdam, while working for numerous clients in France and abroad. At the same time, I gradually developed my own style of illustration and realised that this was what I was most passionate about.
Just like when I was a child looking at works in museums, the work of other artists greatly inspired me to get started. Thanks to Instagram, I discovered the work of Inès Longevial, Maria Medem and Charlotte Mei, whom I admire enormously. Charlotte Mei in particular made me want to explore my universe across multiple media.
I love digital art, which offers a diversity of options and incredible freedom to experiment, as much as I love traditional art, which brings happy accidents and a very stimulating sense of letting go. I am increasingly enjoying exploring multiple media: oil painting on large canvas, ceramics, paper lanterns, fabric pennants... Bringing my illustrations to life on objects other than paper gives me a lot of joy. This is also what drives me to collaborate with textile brands, and why I was delighted to work with Olow.
In 2023, you created a shared workshop called Les Mains Rebelles. Can you tell us what it is?
Après plusieurs années de freelance assez solitaire en télétravail, après le Covid et de nombreux voyages, j’ai ressenti le besoin de revenir aux sources, là où j’avais grandi, tout en créant quelque chose de nouveau. C’est ainsi qu’est née l’idée, et l’opportunité, de fonder cet atelier partagé, qui est aujourd’hui mon lieu de travail et dont je suis très fière.
Les Mains Rebelles est un espace situé au cœur des Chartrons, qui réunit à la fois une boutique, un salon de tatouage, un espace dédié à des ateliers créatifs et des bureaux partagés. Nous sommes dix créatrices résidentes à occuper ce bel endroit : illustratrices, tatoueuses, créatrices de bijoux, photographe… Un véritable melting-pot de créativité où l’on s’entraide et se soutient au quotidien. Nous exposons et vendons nos créations dans la boutique, ainsi que des pièces réalisées par des créatrices extérieures.
On a fait le choix politique d’une non-mixité choisie, sans hommes cisgenres, afin de garantir un lieu sûr et bienveillant, libéré des injonctions patriarcales, racistes et LGBTQIA+phobes. C’est vraiment plus qu’un simple lieu de travail : on est toutes devenues amies, on s’épaule, on organise des événements, on défend nos luttes et on fait vivre un espace où chacun·e peut s’exprimer librement.
Would you say that your social and environmental commitment has an influence on your work? If so, how?
I became really interested in politics in 2017, with the Me Too movement. That moment was a turning point: it opened my eyes to many social and environmental injustices, which made me want to get involved. It profoundly changed my life, my worldview... and, naturally, my artistic work. Art has always played an important role in revolutions, and I like to think that it can continue to do so today.
In my struggles, I oscillate between a need for rebellion and a need for rest, and I believe this is very much reflected in my creations. Sometimes I need to produce beauty, simply to soothe hearts (including my own) and give hope. Other times, I feel the urgency to create more committed works that carry a strong message.
In 2023, I presented my first exhibition in Paris, on the theme of feminist utopias. This subject has never left me: it remains at the heart of my work today. I am convinced that the creation of narratives of benevolent futures is more necessary than ever – whether to convince the most sceptical or to instil joy in militant action.
When we worked together on this collection, you made the connection with England. Where does your passion for this country come from?
Honestly, I often ask myself that question! I don't really know what attracts me so much to this country, I find it hard to define and explain. I grew up watching lots of British films and series, and I also listen to a lot of English music, so that's probably played a part. The wide open green spaces, the forests, the valleys, the horses, the sheep, the folklore, the Celtic music... All of it touches me deeply. When I'm in England, I feel at home, as if I had been English in another life.
Let's imagine you've got a cottage by the sea. What would your ideal day be like? Any soundtrack to go with it?
We start with a hearty English breakfast of hash browns, delicious veggie sausages, baked beans, roasted tomatoes, fried eggs, a little avocado... Everything I love! Then we go for a horse ride (might as well imagine having a horse in this ideal scenario, while we're at it, haha).
Then we head to the nearby village: a sandwich in a coffee shop, a detour to the bookshop to buy a good book, and back home to bake cookies that we enjoy with a hot cup of tea (Yorkshire Tea, of course) by the fire. We pick some fresh vegetables from the garden and make a delicious soup for dinner. We enjoy the last moments of daylight with a walk on the beach, the sea air whipping our faces, before ending the day with an evening of board games around the fireplace.
Do you have any anecdotes to share with us about your travels there?
These are mainly small scenes from everyday life, not necessarily spectacular, but which are really part of the folklore: the tiny roads where you constantly clench your buttocks, and when a car comes towards you, one of the drivers has to reverse for several minutes to find a place to pull over (always with incredible politeness from English drivers); horses roaming free everywhere, allowing you to cross fields as if it were nothing, which I find incredible; the fact that you have to remember to have your afternoon tea at 3 p.m., because everything closes at 4.30 p.m.; or all those grannies who call you ‘darling’... It's not necessarily very exciting, haha, but that's what comes to mind right now!
