Project Room: For Intérieur: Sandrine Lanoy

Making her RHODES debut, Lanoy’s introspective portraits are instantly recognisable for their distinctive colour palette and quietly melancholic calm.

Each portrait in the exhibition presents a singular figure inhabiting an anonymous backdrop, flat planes of colour, undefined interiors, or geometric patterns. Lanoy brings depth to these portraits by giving each face with an air of mystery, often gazing at the viewer through a sidelong glance. This enigmatic quality is echoed in their surroundings, which, despite their sparseness, convey emotion through carefully chosen colours that complement the figure within.

For Intérieur is a well-known French saying, referring to one’s inner conscience, the symbolic place where they judge their own actions, thoughts, and intentions. Lanoy’s paintings create a space of silent, restrained emotion. While her portraits may not display overt feeling, each face becomes a study of an inner state. The figures’ thoughts, no matter how private, are exposed through subtle expressions and delicate tonal shifts. It is within this internal space that Lanoy merges form and emotion, allowing the two to shape one another on her canvas. Each portrait begins to converse with those it is hung besides, creating a quiet dialogue between works. Emotions from within are expressed not only across the faces of her figures but also within the shared space they inhabit and the new emotions this dialogue creates.

Sandrine Lanoy worked in the fashion and design industry after studying architecture, before attending the Beaux-Arts School and the Jean Sablé School of Decorative Painting. Her works have been shown internationally, including at The Visionary Project in New York and Seefood Room in Hong Kong.