BIOGRAPHY

Laetitia Lesaffre is a painter, lacquerer and photographer.

She lives and works in Paris.

Public collections in France and private collections in France, Brussels, Den Haag, Sao Polo, Miami, Papeete, London.

Laetitia Lesaffre is a visual artist, lacquer painter and photographer whose entire artistic approach focuses on reflection. She photographs her subjects reflected in her lacquered paintings.

Over time, her photographic work has taken on a sociological dimension. Her portrait series “DE-SOL-ES, enfance exilée”, created during her residency at France Terre d’Asile, as well as her series “Kintsugi, reflets de femmes” and her new project “Kintsugi, âmes d’enfants” anchor her work in contemporary reality.

She has taken part in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad, notably in Milan (MIA), Brussels (AAF), Cologne (List), Paris (Fotofever, Galerie Hegoa), Lille (Galerie Melting Art), New York (Sturgis Art Gallery) and Montreal (Galerie Youn). Her work can be found in private and public collections. She has also taken part in a group show at the Maison de la Photographie in Lille, and has received awards (Prix Miroir de l’Art, Objectif FEMMES 2018 winner, Conseil Général de l’Essonne prize, Beaune special jury prize).

As an insatiable researcher, she continues to experiment traditional lacquer, the art of Kintsugi, old-fashioned prints and mordanting, and through reflections, dissolves the boundary that separates painting from photography.

2024 :

Purple Gallery exhibition April 2024

Finalist Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Award for Breast Cancer.

Exhibition of the Kintsugi series, reflections of women at the Ministry of Justice in November 2024.

Exhibition of the Kintsugi, âmes d’enfants series at the Parliament of Brittany in December 2024 and at the Prime Minister’s office in November.

2023 :

Cour d’Appel de Paris, Tribunaux de Grande Instance (Béthune, Evry, Amiens). City of Aubervilliers.

Solo exhibition Services de la Première Ministre.

Solo exhibition Galerie Hegoa.

Group shows, Puls’art, Indociles.

Galerie Vanhove, Belgium. Art Traffik, Biarritz.

Report France TV Artiviste.

2022 :

Solo exhibition Kintsugi Tribunal Judiciaire de Versailles

Paper Art, Montreal with Galerie Youn.

Group shows, Figuration Critique, Indociles.

Galerie Vanhove, Belgium. Galerie Hegoa, Paris. Art Traffik, Biarritz.

2021 :

Guest of honor Biennale de photographie. Paris 15.

Ministry of Economy and Finance exhibition.

Galerie Capazza: Enfances exhibition. Beart Gallery. Belgium.

2020 _2019 :

Exhibition at Galerie Hegoa. Salon Comparaisons, Grand Palais.

Solo exhibition Mairie du 20e and Mairie du 9e.

Group exhibition Galerie Youn Montréal.

Reco Sturgis New York exhibition. Fotofever. Melting Art Gallery.

2018 :

Fotofever. Winner of the Objectif femmes prize. Mairie du 9e.

Espace d’Art Chailloux. Fresnes. La photographie et ses dérives.

Permanent exhibition at Galerie Eleven Rennes and Art Traffik. Biarritz.

2017-2015

Phot’Aix. Galerie Jean Louis Ramand.

Résonnance exhibition. Pierrefitte Cultural Center.

Solo exhibition. Château de Val aux grès.

AAF Brussels & Amsterdam, MIA Milan. JL Ramand Gallery.

Art Up Lille. List Cologne. MAC Paris. Fotofever Paris. AAF London.

Solo exhibition. BNP & OFI patronage. Paris, France.

Guest of honor. Salon de la photo Corbeil Essonne.

House of Photography. Lille. Melting Art.

Press

INITIATIVES

Report: Laetitia Lesaffre symbolically repairs abused women with gold

Laetitia Lesaffre opened the doors of her Paris workshop to us, where she practices kintsugi. The artist uses this Japanese art, which consists in repairing objects by sublimating their breakage with gold, to symbolically “repair” women who have suffered violence.

https://www.causette.fr/societe/initiatives/reportage-avec-de-lor-laetitia-lesaffre-repare-symboliquement-les-femmes-victimes-de-violences

France TV Culture prime

4-minute France TV report on my commitment: My portrait series “DE-SOL-ES, enfance exilée”, created during my residency at France Terre d’Asile, and my new project “Kintsugi, reflets de femmes” anchor my work in contemporary reality.

La voix du Nord

When art reveals the cracks in women victims of violence, an exhibition to be seen at the Béthune courthouse

Until April 5, the Béthune courthouse is hosting the “Reflets de femmes” exhibition by artist Lætitia Lesaffre. A touching look at women who have to rebuild and reinvent themselves after being victims of violence.

https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/

France Info

“Kintsugi, reflets de femmes”: an exhibition at the Paris Court of Appeal pays tribute to women victims of violence
Until March 28, the Paris Court of Appeal (in the Sainte Chapelle gallery) is raising awareness of violence against women through a poignant exhibition.

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/

I was honored to be awarded the Prix Miroir de l’art at the Figuration critique exhibition in Paris in 2023.

Le Maine Libre

Article published in Le Maine Libre on the occasion of Puls’art, a contemporary art event.

Emma Belz, historienne d'art

Une étrange force émane de ces instants capturés, de celle qui nous pousse à rêver, à voir, à ressentir. La photo se fait peinture, sculpture, video, impression. La matière, …

In the atelier

TECHNIQUE DE LA LAQUE

Lacquer has been used since ancient times in many parts of the world. It is with the sap of a Sumac tree – Rhus vernicifira – used in China for over 5000 years that the most sumptuous heritage has been created.

The lacquer created from this material, harvested by gemmaging the laquier or lacquer tree, is glazed in a succession of layers, sanded and then worked like the old masters. It earned its letters of nobility thanks to successive generations of Chinese and then Japanese lacquerers who surpassed themselves in the creation of decorations rich in techniques – engraving, gold and silver aventurine, relief, inlaying of mother-of-pearl, bone, hard stones and ivory.

European artists imitated these techniques and materials to the point of inventing a purely Western style. Today, the lacquerer’s craft is constantly evolving and enriching itself with new expressions.

Today, artist Laetitia Lesaffre is evolving her lacquer craft by putting it at the service of her photographic approach: at the frontier between painting and photography, her work explores the reflection in her lacquers.