ARTIST ABEL BURGER
Abel
Burger
b. 1982 · French · self-taught · a small fisherman’s town by the sea · the spiritual painter
She presses dense layers of oil pastel into paper and balsa wood until intricate, architectural forms appear: vessels of memory she calls archaeologies of the future.
A path that intertwines art and writing.
Abel Burger is a French artist, born in 1982, self-taught and shaped by the Parisian underground of the 1990s. Her path has long intertwined art and writing as ways to explore identity, mythology, and transformation. She lives in a small fisherman’s town in the South of France. “Being by the sea is priceless, but I am now looking for a new place for my partner and I, still in nature but with more space.”
Her recent works, dense layers of oil pastel pressed into paper and balsa wood, reveal intricate, almost architectural forms. These are not mere structures, but vessels of memory: archaeologies of the future, where fragments of ancient beliefs, symbols and dreams converge into new mythologies.
What inspires you most now?
“I think now I am mostly inspired by ancient civilizations and all that is connected to that: rituals, symbolism, architecture. It looks familiar to me in a way, and it feels right to be surrounded by all these images and emotions.”
“Archaeologies of the future, where ancient beliefs and dreams converge into new mythologies.”
Directed by intuition.
“I read a lot about ancient civilizations, documenting my thoughts with pictures, books, and travel. I never have a specific idea of what I want to do, but I am directed by intuition.”
“When I do a commissioned work, I always take the time to connect with the person and ask about them, their life, feelings, past, and so on. I can see images of it, and then I can work with that.”
How did it affect your creativity?
“I am grateful that the pandemic didn’t affect me or my relatives, and I feel empathy for those that didn’t have this chance. This situation didn’t change anything for me, for this reason but also because I work a lot and I don’t need so much in my life to be happy.”
She returns to mythology and the dream state as a way to delve into humanity’s sense of belonging. She opens a parallel world, unpacking and amalgamating nostalgic memories and cultural traditions, creating stories within stories where myths and personal narratives harbour the potential for hidden messages. Here the boundaries between reality and reverie dissolve.
Who do you consider an icon?
“I don’t have a specific person in mind, but I would say anybody who has the courage and consciousness to work on themselves to feel better in their lives. I am convinced it will lead to a better relationship with this world we are living in. I am impressed and inspired by people who spread love.”
What does wellbeing mean to you?
“I am connected to spirituality and nature, and I also work a lot on myself, looking with kindness at every part of my story that feels not good, trying to not identify myself with my emotions. I think we are creative in so many ways that, even if we can’t change the tough events we went through, we can still change our relationship to them. These changes lead to a more peaceful life.”
“All that work on ourselves, meditation, analysis, retreats, all that work on our individualities, will lead to a better collective. But of course, this is only one of the multiple ways to be conscious.”
“Even if we can’t change the tough events, we can still change our relationship to them.”
Find what makes you profoundly happy, and nourish it.
“I encourage everybody to find their skills, what they are good at, and what makes them profoundly happy. When they find it, nourish it, no matter how long that takes. I used to have random jobs to make money. It has been only three years since I decided to trust myself and to experience the life I wanted to have.”
“Now I am that kind of spiritual painter, whatever the label, that I wanted to be, and I finally experience the happiness of being my true self. It was worth it.”
Antakly Projects, originally Ninu Nina, has been in conversation with the most inspiring voices in art, photography, design and culture since 2003. Interview by Leila Antakly. The question of the intimate is the central axis of Abel Burger’s work: a parallel world concerned with the poetry of sleep, where the remembered and the imagined meet.
All works © Abel Burger. Featured work: Naja Naja, Dear Cosmic Dancer, 2024. Thank you to Abel for the conversation.
abelburger.com → Instagram @abelburger →
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Stay curious. ✦
