Isabelle Hayman

Isabelle Hayman is a French artist based in London. She trained as a textile designer at the ESAA Duperré Paris, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from Paris. She worked in Indonesia as a textile designer, before moving to London 20 years ago. Isabelle has crafted a very unique aesthetic which is entirely self-taught. She has exhibited at Paul Smith internationally, and at Compton Verney Gallery.

Isabelle's work often focuses on the diversity of the female figure, drawing portraits using simple lines - reminiscent of ancient Egyptian drawings or carvings. The eyes, the mouth and profile become graphic icons in her work. Her portraits are both touching and playful. Always working in series and repeating motifs and figures, dreamed up in her head, she creates visual puzzles, expressing the female complexity.

Through her imagined subjects, she attempts to depict the non-visible. Isabelle uses ink as her main medium, balancing between precise lines and the unpredictability of using ink - which can often bleed out onto the page, depending on the different absorption of the paper.