Adèle Aproh’s illustrations seek to both “fascinate and disturb”

For Adèle Aproh, one thing, and one thing alone, sits at the very “heart” of her illustrations: women. Clad in bikinis coming out of a hot tub, feasting on a whole lobster, or partying around a pole, Adèle shows the lives of women at their most hedonistic and free. But, Adèle has no intentions of creating an entirely rosy picture of her characters, and instead the “absurd universe” she has created and the stories her pieces tell are intended to both “fascinate and disturb”. In one of her more intriguingly uneasy comics, a chicly dressed figure tastes a fresh octopus before purchasing it from the fishmonger.

Realised with coloured pencils, markers, Posca pens and oil pastels, Adèle sources inspiration for her absurdist themes from surrealism greats like Dalí and Kahlo. Meanwhile, many of her sequenced, storytelling pieces are influenced by comic artists Nicole Claveloux and Nathan Cowdry. What’s more, through the clothing, accessories, places and foods featured in her work, Adèle often pays homage to Asian culture and mythology. Currently, Adèle is testing oil paint and airbrush methods while creating Tarot-inspired series.