State of the Art Camille Walala

On a colorful mission with CAMILLE WALALA

Original source of inspiration

What is Camille Walala’s favorite children’s book? “Miffy: I can count”! Because just like Dick Bruna, Walala loves simple illustrations with thick, black lines.

From murals and interactive art installations right down to sneakers. The French artist Camille Walala can and does do it all. Her colorful designs and graphic patterns brighten entire streets and neighborhoods. She aspires to be more than a pretty Instagram picture and wants to use her platform to spread positivity.

— Memphis meets tribal As a child of divorced parents, she would alternate between her mother’s bright home in Provence and her father’s sleek urban environment. This stark contrast would later develop into Studio Walala, her own creative haven in East London, where she first started working in textile design. This is also how she secured her first major commission: giving a makeover to the interior of nightclub XOYO. She has been working with art and textile motifs in an urban context ever since. She draws inspiration from the Memphis Group, a 1980s design movement characterized by bright colors, kitschy styling, and geometric shapes, but also from African tribal patterns involving asymmetry and expression. This fusion yielded her unique and colorful style. — Social media As long as Instagram museums and Pinterest cafes are booming, Walala’s art can also count on a considerable amount of attention. Her works have been widely shared on social media, and she isn’t always comfortable with that. After all, companies know that any Walala job will automatically attract popularity and press attention. That’s why she is more selective about who she works with. She doesn’t want to just associate her name with a brand and advertise it. Instead, she wants to use her art to give something back to society and create a sense of pride.

Two million Lego bricks

Walala once decorated a dream home for children with two million Lego bricks. She used a different color palette for each room, giving each room an entirely different ambiance.

— Her father’s daughter Walala hopes that she can branch out her work to larger urban environments by collaborating with architects. She aims to give citizens a renewed sense of ownership of their cities and spread a wave of positivity. The fascination with architecture was instilled in her by her architect father. This is most evident in her preparation, which always involves creating virtual 3D-models, allowing her to experiment with volumes, perspectives, and patterns.

— Crowdfunding for the arts Walala’s pre-eminent project is undoubtedly the colorful makeover of London’s Leyton neighborhood. In 2020, the locals wanted to give something back to their neighborhood and organized a competition in which everyone could vote for their favorite art project. Walala came out as the winner, allowing her to do a makeover of no less than eight houses. The work is called “Walala Parade” and is generating a much-needed, positive image boost. It is worth mentioning that the project was funded by a mix of crowdfunding and contributions from the London street art collective Wood Street Walls and London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. So, make sure to check it out during your next city trip!

Memphis Group

This movement against modernism made its mark in the 1980s with well-known collectors such as David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld. Its style with bright colors and abstract shapes is associated with postmodernism. It draws inspiration from pop art and art deco.

The group was named after a song by Bob Dylan: “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.” This album happened to be playing when the interior designer Ettore Sottsass set up the group.