Meet Fleur Spolidor | Visual artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fleur Spolidor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fleur, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to become an artist because artists and creatives have a superpower: they can influence and impact society through their work. Through their artistic efforts, they can spark thoughts, challenge the status quo, or inspire change. Through artistic expressions such as painting, sculpture, literature, music or cinema, artists can comment on social issues, advocate for change, celebrate and preserve traditions or propose a vision of the future . Art can capture the essence of a society’s identity, history and collective memory. But what I like most is that art can foster dialogue, bridge gaps and create connections between diverse individuals and communities within a society. It can be a powerful tool for developing empathy, encouraging open-mindedness and promoting social cohesion.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
what you are most proud of or excited about.

Recently I’ve been painting “The Swimsuits series: A pictorial reflection on women’s rights”. This series was selected to be on display at the European delegation to the United Nations, during the 67th commission on the status of women with a focus on “Innovation and Technological Change, and Education in the Digital Age to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls”. The same series was awarded a 2023 Arts Alive grant, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts through its Statewide Community Regrant program and was on display at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY for two months. The opening reception was part of the NY State’s Path Through History Weekend on October 7-8, 2023.
In my art practice, I am drawn to the powerful and multifaceted nature of women. I aim to capture the essence of femininity in its various forms while challenging societal stereotypes and celebrating individuality. By painting women in a diverse range of situations, emotions, and backgrounds, I strive to empower and uplift women, shedding light on their unique journeys, struggles, and triumphs.
This was the starting point of this series of 12 women posing in their bathing suits. They are proudly presenting to the visitors the surreal situations they find themselves confronted with during their lives, such as fighting for their rights to abortion, dealing with the gender pay gap or trying to not become invisible as they get to a certain age. These human scaled bathers look us straight in the eye, insistently sharing their difficult situations.
I paint them in acrylic on a collage of recycled materials, to upcycle, but also to create a textured surface, which contrasts with the idea of a classic painting built like a window of a smooth and perfect world. The structure of the backgrounds shows through the painted images, marking the female bodies with imperfections symbolizing the rigor of life imprinted in the flesh. Wrinkles, scars, flaws are celebrated as part of these contemporary, imperfect, real and combative women. You could say they are the absolute opposite of the perfect Mona Lisa, smoothly painted with her iconic/enigmatic smile.
Painting them dressed only in swimsuits questions the narrative surrounding women’s bodies. A bathing suit is a small piece of revealing fabric that can be difficult to wear for some women: modesty, aesthetic canon, accidental exposure of an intimate part of the body, and which offers no protection. It is also a clear marker of the status of women in the society they live in, and that based on how much skin they are allowed to show.
Details of famous artworks are represented in each bathing suit in connection with the theme of the painting. For example Frida Kahlo, “The Broken Column” in “Body Dysmorphia” or Edvard Munch, “The Scream”, 1895 in “Mental Load”. The idea to refer to other artist’s paintings in the women’s swimsuits comes from the t-shirt marketing technique in which you display a brand or product on people’s clothes, they become walking billboard advertisements for the campaign. Here the women are advocating for their rights. It’s a series about women’s struggles and hardship inspired by press articles, historical facts as well as my friends’ personal stories. Each artwork comes with a text to give more information about the research and the context of the painting. During the exhibition, visitors are invited to place themselves in the circle created by the 12 artwork, and while facing them, they share their own personal stories. It’s a kind of catharsis, it’s quite magical.
You can see these 12 paintings on my website artefleur.com

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m originally from Paris, France, but I lived in NYC, Amsterdam, Zurich and San Francisco. Let me tell you about my fav spots in each of these wonderful places.
When in Paris go to the restaurant Le Procope, 13 Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris, France. Le Procope, the oldest café in Paris, in the heart of Saint-Germain des Prés It’s an historical place where the revolutionaries met during the French revolution. Their Profiteroles are delicious.
In Amsterdam, stop by the Café Restaurant De Ysbreeker. Weesperzijde 23 1091 EC Amsterdam. Built in 1702. The restaurant is named after the icebreakers that were docked in front of the building from 1702 till 1860, The ships would clear a path through the ice covered Amstel river during the winter months.
In Zurich, try the white sausages and bread roll at the Sternen Grill + Sternen Grill Restaurant im oberen Stock Theaterstrasse 22, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland. It’s just amazingly simple and you can sit upstairs and enjoy a view of the lake.
In San Francisco, try “It’s it ice cream” at their Factory Store 865 Burlway Rd, Burlingame, CA 94010 Ice cream sandwiches, made of large old-fashioned oatmeal cookies, and then dipped in fine dark chocolate. Created in 1928. Absolutely decadent !
In New York, go get some Matzo ball soup and Pastrami Sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002 opened in 1888 it’s an iconic landmark of the Lower East side neighborhood. 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been a member of The Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA) for many years. I absolutely love their programs and how the members support each other. Two of their members have been especially important in the evolution of my work, by their support and the exemplary nature of their research and work. My mentor Elizabeth Addison, a wonderful artist, curator and educator, who’s also the Exhibitions Chair for the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art. https://www.elizabethaddison.com/
And Sawyer Rose, indefatigable advocate of women’s rights, through her sculptural project the Carrying stones. Rose, FRSA, MRSS is the Past President and current Communications Chair of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art. https://www.carrying-stones.com/

Website: https://www.fleurspolidor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artefleur/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fleur-spolidor/