Lille. Have you come across this portrait of Gisèle Pélicot? Meet the artist behind these collages of women

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She’s a bit like Gisèle (formerly) Pélicotfinally, this artist. It fades behind actions, which are much more meaningful and revealing of people’s personalities. Those of Dominique Pélicot, detailed in public at the Mazan rape trial, are sordid, those of this 38 year old Lille resident, militant, inspiring, moving. His age is all we will know about the artist, who colors the streets of the city with feminist collages for three years now. Those of Gisèle, in Old Lille and Wazemmesparticularly appealed to passers-by. “I depicted her walking, moving forward, and not static at her trial. » She made these everyday heroines her models.

22 portraits of women victims of violence placed throughout Lille

« Gisèle helped free the voices of women of her generationwho talk very little about what they suffered. It’s very good that she decided to open her trial,” the artist tells us. We feel that it was almost unthinkable for her to miss this figure, who has become the symbol of the fight against sexual violence. This is also the niche that she chose, to represent only women, usually anonymous, who have one day been victims. “I don’t like this word ‘victims’. These are women who have actually suffered assault, rape, domestic violence… and whom I have often met by chance. They are all a little militant. »

Now numbering 22 (including Gisèle, whom the artist has not met), they all showed themselves in the light they wanted. “I asked them to pose in the way they would like to defend themselves,” summarizes the Lille resident. Then she drew them in real size, before scanning the result and making an urban collage. Not just anywhere.

“Always around party places, or in nasty streets. You come across a collage, and it does you a lot of good. These women become a bit like friends. » And, we can go further, by also seeing a strong, dissuasive message sent to possible aggressorswhose act often takes place during the night hours.

“The question of injustice is always present”

The thirty-year-old knows it, her artistic practice flirts with illegality – she could receive a fine of €35 for having altered public space – but she is identified by elected officials from Lille town hall. Besides, she never hides. “ I stick during the dayand the city services do not clean up after me. »

22 portraits, but 300 collages, at least, elsewhere than in the Capital of Flanders. In Tours, Marseille, Berlin… “I find out beforehand about the busiest streets for partying. The question of injustice is still presentjust like the political dimension… on the left,” she says. And this is the last element that will be slipped to us about this shadow splicer, who strives to highlight real social issues.

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