Miss Van is a French artist whose work can be found in galleries, on walls and on people's flesh. With a knack for painting and sketching saucy girls – with bedroom eyes and lipsticked pouts – her characters are reminiscent of Fafi's little vixens.
Miss Van began decorating the streets of Toulouse in the early '90s – at first following some friends around and tagging with them, until her characters appeared. Says the artist: "The characters came out spontaneously. I chose to use acrylic paint because I was using it while studying, and I found it more comfortable than spray cans, even if it wasn’t a graffiti style."
She says that, at first, her "dolls" were self-portraits, a way of signing her work without tagging her name. It was also a way for her to explore her own identity. Eventually though, her reasons morphed and she began painting her nymph-like dolls to provoke and challenge viewers. "The idea of provocativeness has also a part in my conception of my work. I have always liked painting a sexy doll in an inappropriate place. I want to provoke strong reactions... I wish they disturbed and provoked fantasies. I want them to make the viewer react, no matter the reaction."
More at
missvan.com.