Isabelle Hayman is a French artist based in London. She trained as a textile designer at the ESAA Duperré Paris, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from Paris. She worked in Indonesia as a textile designer, before moving to London 20 years ago. Isabelle has crafted a very unique aesthetic which is entirely self-taught. She has exhibited at Paul Smith internationally, and is about to be a part of an exhibition at Compton Verney Gallery this summer.
Isabelle's work often focuses on the diversity of the female figure, drawing portraits using simple lines - reminiscent of ancient Egyptian drawings or carvings. The eyes, the mouth and profile become graphic icons in her work. Her portraits are both touching and playful. Always working in series and repeating motifs and figures, dreamed up in her head, she creates visual puzzles, expressing the female complexity.
Through her imagined subjects, she attempts to depict the non-visible. Isabelle uses ink as her main medium, balancing between precise lines and the unpredictability of using ink - which can often bleed out onto the page, depending on the different absorption of the paper. Her work was recently selected by Paul Smith to be exhibited in his boutiques around Europe, touring from Paris, to London, to Hamburg and finally Amsterdam.
"I've imagined a series of eccentric beetles wearing their best outfit for a party. The beetles are decorated with a cocktail of different patterns, inspired by motifs taken from wax cloth, antique embroidery, Indian block print forming a puzzle of eclectic patterns and colours evoking a textile patchwork piece created by a cunning textile collector. The giant size of the beetles, allows us to see the multiple details formed by the patterns and colours, reminding us of the complexity and fragility of nature." - Isabelle Hayman
Drop 3 - High Summer 2020
"This is a collection about swimming and enjoying the freedom of being near the water. I love being on the beach and watching people, families together, it is a time to reconnect." - Isabelle Hayman
