Poupée Mécanique

Environmental portraits of artist and musician Poupée Mécanique, photographed in his Hackney Wick studio.

Poupée Mécanique (Leonidas) is an artist, musician and maker whose studio exists in a world of its own - filled with curiosities, plants, instruments and works in progress. Rather than a commissioned shoot, this series grew from a shared curiosity and an afternoon spent exploring the atmosphere of the Hackney Wick workspace.

Photographing Leonidas within an environment so deeply connected to his creative practice offered the opportunity to create portraits that felt quite personal and cinematic. Considered, generous and fascinating, this session was a memorable one and the resulting images remain among my favourite examples of artist portraiture on location. I was very grateful to be welcomed into this atelier and to share some conversation over a book afterwards.

If you're interested in commissioning something similar within your own creative space, please get in touch.

Artist: Poupée Mécanique
Photography: Talie Eigeland