Justine Ladaique

You mentioned a turning point in your creative journey — moving from fashion design to deeper artistic exploration. What triggered this transformation?

Love. I’m actually writing a book about it (it will be called “Love without Feeling It”) that describes how when you fall hard in love your perceptions of things can sometimes change. While I was at university, we were taught ways to create a final garment. From finding inspiration to turn it into a silhouette. After two years of it, I felt stuck. Creatively. It was like always going back to the same outcome. Different inspirations but getting the same result. Over and over again. So I had to question myself. Why was I stuck and what went wrong “in the place where inspiration comes from”?

How did your time in the South of France influence your artistic voice and visual language?

Being isolated for two years in the middle of nowhere gives you space and freedom to experiment. There is no one to show your work to, no springboard, no one important. I was outside of any scenes, which was perfect for questioning my work and its direction.

Justine Ladaique | The Fortress | 2024

Your artworks seem to merge abstraction and emotion. Can you tell us more about your process of translating inner moods into visual forms?

When I write or draw, I focus on a feeling. It’s like a memory but then, I remember the exact emotion that was there at that time. I concentrate on it. Then, I feel words when I write, forms when I draw or paint. I never think. It has to be 100% feelings. My head is shut off.

What role does introspection or meditation play in your practice?

I actually tried meditation. The aim was to stay still and focus on how we feel in our bodies. Trying not to focus on our thoughts. Quiet everything down, relax, and see what comes out. This is quite similar. Except that, I turn my intention into a feeling. It’s a time where I remember something that moved me strong. I hold it until the Art piece is complete.

Justine Ladaique | The Coast | 2024

Do you see your works as autobiographical in any way? Are specific memories or feelings tied to each piece?

Exactly. As an artist, you live and feel. You constantly describe the world and society as you perceive it. I talk about my life because I had to make one with the emotions I felt. At first, I didn’t understand them. It didn’t make sense with the life I thought I was living. I was stuck in a dream and love made me wake up. Going back to my past feelings helped me find the truth within my story.

How do you decide when a piece is complete, especially when dealing with such intuitive and emotional content?

I just don’t feel like adding more. Nothing else comes from within. It’s like what was strong became very subtle.

Justine Ladaique | The Bite | 2024

As this series is described as your “first attempt at true expression,” do you feel it marks a new chapter in your artistic evolution?

Definitely. It’s almost like my artistic obsessions before were something unconscious that would tickle me constantly. Now, I can directly face it and express it purely. Looking at it through its different angles. Instead of trying to understand it through questioning it. Now the art piece (and it’s even stronger with words) speaks for itself. Then, I realized what truly happened. I consciously know what I’m expressing.