Aureli Durand

Aurélia Durand is an Ivorian-French graphic artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was born in 1990 and raised in Paris, but spent four years of her childhood in La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Madagascar. Her time in La Réunion shaped her interests in representing the power and beauty of multi-culturalism. With its French, East African, Indian and Chinese cultural influences and heritage, Aurélia describes the island as a place where different communities are able to accept each other. Coupled with her mixed cultural background (Ivorian and French), this experience compelled Aurélia to make art which raises awareness about culturally diverse and nuanced stories.

Sources of inspiration

Aurélia is inspired by different artistic fields, from contemporary art and product design, to photography and film. Colours and shapes from the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama and Xavier Veilhan have each influenced the striking, lively colours of her work. Aurélia draws and paints but also digitally creates short animations and graphics, which she believes allows her to express herself more powerfully.Her recent works are characterised by “Afro-pop” culture, in which men and women proudly display Afro hair and braids with colourful African prints and edgy fashion accessories. Aurélia also stages her characters in groovy digital animations in which bodies and patterns dance gracefully to Afro-pop music.

Exhibitions and Projects

• The Next Wave: The Power of Authenticity and Self Validation, HAART, Hoxton Arches, London, 2019
• La Sape Culinair, collaboration with The Blues Woman Restaurant, Copenhagen, 2018​​
• Haut en Couleurs, Solo exhibition, KPH, Copenhagen, 2018