WHO AM I?

Sylviane Merchez has always expressed herself through drawing. Seduced as a child by the mysteries of ancient Egypt, she chose to study Art History and Archaeology, Ancient History and Egyptology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and studied Arabic for four years. But her passion for art objects remained, and she also took classes in art restoration.

Meanwhile, she tried her hand at various practical training courses, such as imitation wood and marble techniques at the very well know Vander Kelen-Logelain school, for exemple. The mix of these apprenticeships, alongside an intense personal life, has made her work the bundle of multiple expressions that characterises her today.

Entirely dedicated to creating objects in Halchimia, a rare and fascinating geopolymer, invented by Roland Lefèvre, Sylviane fashions works of art and imagines tables for a range of brands. Mnestra is the name she chose to explore the possibilities of this material.

“Primitive” and “futuristic” are two concepts she likes to mingle in order to achieve a variety of effects: from the material’s crackling to the integrated metals’ deep shine, each piece develops its own personality in response to the proposed mixtures and reactions she introduces. The notions of limit, boundary, contact, encounter, dialogue, protection and dilution are central to her aesthetic research.

• Diploma in Archaeology, Art History and Egyptology, ULB, Brussels
• Medallist of the School of Imitation Wood and Marble, Van Der Kelen-Logelain, Brussels