Aussie Indie Artists is a Q&A series with smaller Aussie creators that shares exciting new works, finds new angles towards the art, and peeks behind the scenes.
Faces, and colours, and abstractions, and feelings meld together in Magali Feuga’s work. Somehow, they look both freeform and intricate – it’s a delicate balance, with the weaving of cultures and beauties making each a unique spectacle.
“Freeform yet intricate” could also describe Magali’s previous life as a travelling personal chef too. Clearly both in her life and her practice, she’s lived a varied life.
Ahead of her exhibition at this year’s The Other Art Fair Sydney (May 8-11), I caught up with Magali to unravel a few of the layers that go into creating her pieces.
You were born in France, became a travelling private chef, and have now settled in Oz. Where did painting and sculpting start in all that?
I was actually born in New Caledonia. My parents used to live on a sailing boat and I grew up travelling around the world until we settled back in France in the early 90s.
My love for art definitely comes from my dad. Although he chose to spend most of his life at sea, he was an accomplished painter and wood sculptor. He shared his passion and knowledge with me and encouraged me to be creative from a young age.
This curiosity and enthusiasm for art has never left me and I’ve never stopped making art ever since.
I see reds, blues, and whites, all throughout your collections. Are they the colours of the French flag, the Australian flag, or something else to you?
I must admit that I’ve never thought of the French or Australian flags when it comes to these colours but you are not the first person who mentioned it to me. It might be my subconscious talking!
More seriously, I absolutely love blue. It’s a calming and meditative colour but vibrant and mysterious at the same time. Perhaps it’s also because it’s the colour of the ocean.
The red, white and black tones came as a natural complement to blue.
I also like to work with a limited colour palette as it helps me focus on the composition and visual impact.
Your Soul Sugar series feels especially bold, like graffiti for a revolution. What inspired Soul Sugar?
The Soul Sugar series came from my love for Street Art.
I particularly appreciate this style for its ability to catch the attention and provoke thoughts.
There is something about the graphic aesthetic and raw expression that really talks to me and that I wanted to explore in my own way.
Since then, you’ve moved through your Undisclosed Opus series, and on to your sculpted headpiece series, what prompts you to start a new style like that?
I think I’m following my instinct when it comes to deciding which visual I want to use for a specific series. My approach is typically not wedded to certain methodologies but instead pursues energy and visual impact over realistic depiction.
With an openness for original outcomes, I like to experiment with various techniques and mediums to find what works best.
Are there other styles or mediums you’re thinking of trying next?
For the time being, I want to keep working with cardboard, paper and other natural materials. Make more sculptures and 3D wall pieces, and possibly use these mediums on canvas too.
Who inspires you as an artist?
There are many well known artists that I admire and who have inspired me over the years.
To name a few, Nicolas De Staël, Modigliani, Bernard Buffet, Pierre Soulage, and Hundertwasser are among them, as well as most Italian Renaissance painters.
But mostly, it’s people who inspire me. People and the cultural diversity they have created and developed over millennia are an endless source of inspiration to me.
Music also plays a very important role in my studio life.
I’ve noticed you focus on faces– demure, contented ones especially. What draws you to these faces and expressions?
A portrait is not just an image of someone. It’s also about feelings and thoughts. Faces and the variety of emotions they display is truly fascinating to me.
It is said that artists unconsciously paint themselves when they create a portrait and perhaps that is why I’m attracted to certain expressions.
If you had an unlimited budget, how would you like to change your work?
First of all, I would have a much bigger studio and storage space!
So I would most likely make more large artworks but I don’t think that my creative process as such would change much.
Having an unlimited budget would give me more freedom to explore different projects and would make it easier to get all the art supplies I need.
Thank you, good luck with your exhibition at The Other Art Fair!
For more of Magali’s work, head to her Instagram, or see it in person at The Other Art Fair Sydney.
