VIBRATO at Galerie 1831 Paris

June 6, 2018June 6, 2018 | Florence EMA Blanchard

From June 7 – July 25, I’ll be showing new colourful works as part of VIBRATO exhibition at galerie 1831 in Paris. The opening is tomorrow 6pm and coincides with the start of event LA DOLCE VITA at Carré Rive Gauche. More info here: https://monacomadame.org/2018/04/03/exposition-vibrato-du-7-juin-au-25-juillet-2018-a-la-galerie-1831-paris/

Alhambra (acrylic on1m x 1m canvas) IMG_3813_ALhambra_Moieties_s

Left to right: St Tropez 20130, Strawberry Thief v2 (acrylic on 1m x 1m canvas) IMG_3869adj_1200

St Tropez 2030 (acrylic on 1m x 1m canvas) IMG_3824StTropez2030_1200

Work in progress… 1200 st tropez in progress

COMPENDIUM @ TREASON GALLERY / Seattle

October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 | Florence EMA Blanchard

New work on view until October 28 at Treason Gallery 319 3rd Ave S Seattle, Washington 98104 USA.

COMPENDIUM is an exploration of the contemporary abstract movement post graffiti. Utilizing blends of color, line work, and space as subjects, each artist’s unique approach to their work is weighted in the individualism and self-determination that graffiti culture fosters. COMPENDIUM’s roster highlights an eclectic blend of local, national and international artists all communicating through the visual language known as abstract art.

ALTERED STATES @ Saatchi gallery

September 25, 2017October 10, 2017 | Florence EMA Blanchard

Really excited to be part of this exhibition, which is opening this week at Saatchi gallery in London. For this occasion I prepared a few new paintings I’m super pleased with. Please message me if you’d like to attend the private view this Thursday.

Altered States

Altered States showcases works by eight urban contemporary artists based in the UK. The artists featured in Altered States are: D.A.N.T.E., David Shillinglaw, Florence Blanchard, Kid Acne, Lily Mixe, Skeleton Cardboard, Sr.X and Victoria Villasana. The exhibition has been curated by Olly Walker.

By its nature art concerns transition and transformation. Ideas and emotions transform from impulses to physical images. Substances are transformed when rendered on surfaces, liquids become solids and colours merge. Similarly, artists find themselves living within a society that is constantly changing and presenting them with new challenges and opportunities.

The UK is home to a community of diverse artists. Some were borne in the UK and others were drawn to it; but all continue to explore artistic ideas as the nation evolves. Altered States showcases the output of a selection of British-based urban contemporary artists working today.


: ARCADIA 100 x 150cm

Bliss – new mural @92BurtonRd

October 12, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

Here is my newest mural. I finished it last week @92Burtonrd in Sheffield. I had a great time taking my time!

Biomembrane – Festival Of The Mind 2016

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

I am delighted to present my newest mural here – a collaboration with CBMNet at the University Of Sheffield, in conjunction with Festival Of The Mind 2016 / Fear of the Unseen: Engineering Good Bacteria.

The ‘Crossing Biological Membranes Network’ is composed of scientists working to understand the mechanisms by which substances are transported into, within, and out of cells. Their ultimate aim is to produce knowledge which will enable the development of new technologies in the Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy sector (eg: producing biofuels using E coli bacteria).

My role in this collaboration has been to translate the CBMNet area of work into a large outdoor mural located within the university campus. For this occasion I have presented my interpretation of a detail of a cell membrane as seen under an electron microscope, having undergone a cryofracture. A cryofracture is a procedure in which the sample is frozen quickly and then broken with a sharp blow so you are able to study its structure in very close detail – Imagine breaking a bar of chocolate with hazelnuts, this way you can see how hazelnuts are positioned inside the bar…

For an online animation of a biomembrane cryofracture follow this link: http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/530082/view

There is an incredible amount of information available about the structure & functioning of a biological membrane, and many ways to interpret this artistically. I chose to stick with the basic knowledge that biomembranes are mainly composed of the following molecules: phopholipids, cholesterol, proteins and carbohydrate ramifications (see diagram below), and that at any moment smaller molecules are transiting through it in both directions. All these elements are represented on the final visual.

Above: Diagram of a small portion of cell membrane

Learning the structure of biological membranes was one of my favourite topics during my PhD because it involved lots of drawing. Typically a biomembrane is made of two thin lipid sheets stuck together with large elements (proteins) inserted through them. In a cell, this molecular ensemble surrounds and prevents the inside of the cell from being in contact with the outside of the cell. This structure is highly dynamic: proteins move within this ‘bilayer’ in 2 dimensions to specific locations when the cell needs it. In order to represent this in an accurate diagram, you need to draw a 3 dimensions structure, which mostly had 2 dimensional capabilities, on a (2 dimensional) piece of paper – woo ha!

This project was made possible by Festival Of The Mind and BBSRC. Thank you Jen Vanderhoven from CBMNet for inviting me and Mika Ohtsuki for helping out with the mural. A projection of a short documentary about the project is planned on Sept 19 at Spiegeltent FOTM: Fear of the Unseen: Engineering Good Bacteria

Homage to Topsy

July 12, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

On view in the courtyard of Butcher Works in Sheffield UK, Topsy is a new project I’ve just completed.

Topsy was a female elephant born in south east asia around 1875. She met with an unfortunate fate after she was secretly brought into the United Sates to perform with the Forepaugh Circus. Not liking much her new environment she gradually gained a reputation as a “bad” elephant and, after killing a spectator in 1902, was sold to Coney Island’s Sea Lion Park.

Unfortunately things didn’t go better for her in Coney Island. When Sea Lion was leased out at the end of the 1902 season and redeveloped into Luna Park Topsy was involved in several well-publicized incidents, attributed to the actions of either her drunken handler or the park’s new publicity-hungry owners, Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy.

Their end-of-the-year plans to hang Topsy at the park in a public spectacle and charge admission were stopped by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The event was cut back to invited guests and press only and Thompson and Dundy agreed to use a more sure method of strangling the elephant with large ropes tied to a steam-powered winch with poison and electrocution planned for good measure. On January 4, 1903 in front of a small crowd of invited reporters and guests Topsy was fed poison, electrocuted, and strangled, the electrocution ultimately killing her. Amongst the press that day was a crew from the Edison Manufacturing movie company who filmed the event. Their film of the electrocution part was released to be viewed in coin-operated kinetoscopes under the title Electrocuting an Elephant.

The story of Topsy fell into obscurity for the next 70 years but has become more prominent in popular culture, partly due to the fact that the film of the event still exists. In popular culture Thompson and Dundy’s killing of Topsy has switched attribution, with claims it was an anti-alternating current demonstration organized by Thomas A. Edison during the War of Currents. Historians point out that Edison was never at Luna Park and the electrocution of Topsy took place 10 years after the War of Currents.

A Special thank you to Special Steels Group for the sponsor, and ArtFelt for inviting me.

The scultpure will be auctioned later this year to raise funds for Artfelt, the Children’s Hospital art programe, helping children recover in an environment tailored to them. For more info on the project: http://www.herdofsheffield.com/

New mural at The Leadmill (UK)

May 20, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

This week I was invited by the lovely people at The Leadmill in Sheffield to paint a mural on their iconic doors.

New Exhibition in Harrogate UK

April 16, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

I’m excited to announce the start of a new collaboration with Redhouse Originals Gallery in Harrogate this month.

“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion”
William Faulkner 

We are delighted to introduce the work of French painter, muralist and screenprinter Florence Blanchard.

Throughout April we will be exhibiting a small but perfectly formed group of original paintings and prints, with all works available to purchase in person from the gallery or online here.

Blanchard was one of the first female graffiti writers in France and began working in the early 1990s under the name Ema. She then moved to New York where she graduated with a PhD from New York University in 2008. This coincided with a progressive shift in style, moving away from traditional graffiti and adopting a more abstract approach. The artist’s recent work is directly inspired by her training as a scientist and depicts abstract molecular landscapes questioning the idea of visual perception.

“As a trained molecular biologist, I have thoroughly observed nature through powerful microscopic lenses. Underpinned by a knowledge that all matter is made of particles –  whether animal, human or mineral my artwork aims to magnify what the human eye can’t see. I invite viewers to immerse themselves in an uncanny macroscopic world. By representing molecules on a large-scale I aim to question our perception of our surroundings. Through bold geometric shapes, fluorescent colours and representations of particles colliding in planned riots of abstraction I aim to depict people flowing through the station at any instant with the ultimate goal to arrest this peculiar motion.”
Florence Blanchard, April 2016

These stunning works will be on display until Saturday 30th April. For further details please contact us here or call the gallery direct on +44 (0)1423 884400.

MOFO festival // Hobart Tasmania

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 | Florence EMA Blanchard

I spent the beginning of this year in Australia, painting walls in Melbourne & Hobart. I had an amazing time hanging out in the beautiful nature of Tasmania, such a great way to start the year. One of the murals I painted was in one of the venues of MOFO festival in Hobart. I also painted another mural with Kid Acne in the city center. I wish for more positive vibes like this for this year. A big thank you to Kira for organising everything, you’re the best!