Change & Ecological Awareness through Art: Interview with Louis Michel
All images courtesy of the artist.
Louis Michel is a British painter, sculptor, illustrator and street artist perhaps best known for his murals of endangered animals, in particular, bees. A graduate of Falmouth School of Art, he strives to find a human reference to animals juxtaposing an element that might not be previously obvious.
Louis wants to provoke and use his art as an agent for change and ecological awareness. He is an artist first and foremost but his strong beliefs inform his practice at every turn. It is easier to fail both as an activist and an artist than it is to succeed. His street practice should be understood as a dialogue and complementary to his gallery work. He paints on the streets because that is the most impactful place for his message. Louis understands that the ecological issue facing mankind is possibly the greatest threat we have ever faced and one, which this generation has a duty to address.
“For the most part it would seem humans have forgotten how to interact with nature, and have become consumed by greed and theft of the natural world. It would be lovely to see humans reminded more often that we sit alongside nature and not above it.”
Tell us about the transition from Cornwall to London. How did you know it was time for the big move and making the decision to pursue your art as a career?
Change is an interesting thing; I feel like we are in many ways encouraged by default to fear change. In Europe we have four very clear and distinguishable seasons, as does most continents of course, personally I feel like our lifeline has seasons also. Perhaps it’s not a four-season cycle but I think if we don’t allow our seasons to fruition, there is risk of fruits not dropping form trees and no seeds being sown. I know its slightly cliche, but these new seeds scatter and the new trees are born. My living in Cornwall suited my formative years because I was studying, I had no desire to be a professional artist. Staying in Cornwall for a period gave birth to many important life lessons for me, but I couldn’t grow in the way I thought I might want to. Cornwall has a great artist scene but it’s also very stuck in its ways and not particularly well connected to the rest of the UK, so opportunities don’t really offer themselves very often. To be honest, I was that big fish in a small pond, those five years after my degree found me as resident DJ in every bar and club, and curating artist group shows in every space that would allow for it. This season had created a desire within me that was ready to launch, London became my launch pad. Once I was focused on only paying rent and bills via money earned from my art, I guess it instantly birthed my career as an artist.
In your early years, what steps did you take to build up your reputation and start landing mural projects and shows?
So let me take it a step back from shows and projects. When I first landed in London, I had no money for artist materials, I had no galleries or collectors, and no one knew who I was. One of the things I also love doing is upcycling, I find cool stuff on the street and make it into fun bits of furnishings. London is mad for finding dope things outside people’s homes, gilded frames, lamps, wardrobes, chesterfield sofas, it’s all there for the taking. Occasionally you will even find pots of paint, so I started using housepaint’s with spray paint and acrylics. If I wasn’t working on studio works painted onto stripped back upcycled furniture, then I was painting on buildings around London. I would ask property owners/tenants if I could paint their walls, and this enabled me to practise upscaling and improving can control. This environment meant I was meeting loads of street art fans and other artist doing the same kind of things as I was, before long I was able to be chatting with lowbrow, high street galleries. It was what is now considered the social media heyday, so my Instagram was starting to grow, and I was getting accepted for group shows. I have a very DIY grassroots ethos; I think that has allowed me to be resourceful but also be motivated to build on yesterday’s success and see what tomorrow has for me. Landing the bigger mural projects and solo shows only happened because I was already doing this with or without the opportunities. Collaborating with galleries, brands, NGOs and mural projects makes the experience more relevant sure, but I will always be doing this irrespectively.
For painters looking to start working in murals, what tips can you give? More specifically - are there any common mistakes you see artists make & how to avoid them?
Geeeeez…that’s a big question. I don’t think there really is a one size fits all or a do this and you will get this result. What I was doing back then is not even relevant to what I would be doing now or even what I think I need to do now to keep things moving forward. It’s a season, and personally I am being forced into a new season because humanity is starting a new season. If the truth be told, I was happy how social media worked for me five years ago, I was enjoying not seeing AI images all the time, it was good living in a time of “peace”… those times are done, the seeds are sprouting again. The most important thing is to be true to yourself, just do you and let others do them. Spend less than you make and don’t burn bridges, you will always pass the same people on the way down as you passed on the way up. If you are doing things with integrity the people will respect you for it, I’m sorry I can’t give a cookie cutter answer but it kind of really is that way, I’m still learning everyday also.
Now let's talk about your work. You've developed a very unique visual language that can be described as animals painted in intricate patchwork designs. Walk us through the evolution of your style thus far and how the visual plays into the meaning behind your work.
Initially I was painting animals, ones I had always had an admiration for and after a while I was curious about what other species I could paint that I was not aware of. Meanwhile at the same time I was wanting to inject some colour into what was a fairly realistic rendition of the species. The idea for fusing fabric patterns at first came about as a result of a collaboration I did with an African fashion designer called Ohema Ohene. I really enjoyed how the image looked and for the next couple of years I focused on subtle flashes of fabric patterns imbedded into the ears and bellies of species. In 2015, I had a London solo show “Batteries Not Included” this series was a turning point for me. The show was based entirely around species on the brink of extinction, with each painting exploring a realistic rendition of the species playing with a toy version of themselves. I was exploring the idea of when a species becomes extinct - only toys will remain. I was very inspired by the book I had read as a child called Elmer the elephant and within that series was the first patchwork quilt paintings. Since then, 80% of the paintings I have created have been full patchwork quilt plush toys, and using the work to open up discussions surrounding the ideas of extinction, biodiversity collapse and speciesism.
Your art is a means of expression, but also gives you the chance to highlight the plight of endangered wildlife around the world. What would you say is your mission as an artist?
I believe that all art should be speaking to something and It’s interesting how when we have a voice of reason whatever that reason be, society tends to section us off into subcategories. By identifying solely as an artist as apposed an environmentalist or activist, I believe I’m bridging a gap between the general public and data. My mission if I was to be so strategic as that, would be to encourage my audience to change their habits. We all want to be seen as doing the best we can, and the conversation surrounding environmental action is loud right now. I like the idea that art can bridge a demographic of audience from one side of life to the other and is achievable without language barriers. The success of this is so prominent in the public domain, that’s why I like painting on walls in cities and communities around the world. It would be great if more brands and NGOs would work with artists, especially artists that are authentic to the branding.
In a previous interview, you mentioned that artists should be three things: courageous, defiant, and passionate. Can you share more about how these three characteristics have been integral in your career?
You need to have courage to do the things that you have no idea where they will take you or how you will achieve the results. You need to be defiant so that you don’t fall off the path that your courage has taken you on. Above all else, if your passionate about what you do, neither you nor your audience will grow tiered of you. I have never known what is waiting for me on each chapter that I take, for example…
I wanted to do a painting tour around the states, I called the project the ‘Art Of Beeing’. To leave home with a limited budget for three months takes courage, I didn’t know if I and the team would make each destination on schedule, I didn’t know if each location was going to provide a wall to paint, we didn’t know if we would find content for five short films or if the content would be any good. One thing is for sure I was defiant it was going to be achievable, and it was achievable because I was passionate about the story I wanted to tell. The result was five dope films, a multitude of murals in nine states, and loads of amazing contacts. Subsequently I have reaped the reward repeatedly because now I have a state side audience.
What were you most grateful for this past year and what are you looking forward to in 2025 & beyond?
Gratitude is a powerful way to start and end a season, I’ll be straight up, times are hard right now for me as with a lot of artists. I’m ready to start 2025 with more than just a new year but with a new season. I’m excited to try out some new concepts, find some new collectors and dive deeper into my research. If me 20 years ago could have seen me today, Dzaaaaam! There is no way I would have believed this was possible. So my mission today, is to acknowledge future me in another 20 years’ time and say I see you. I’m grateful for all the lessons along the way and I’m grateful today for the lessons I’m about to learn tomorrow.
ONE LOVE.
