Leslie Leoni

When Leslie Leoni was born in May 1981 in La Louvière, just a stone's throw from the Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image Imprimée, her destiny seemed to be all mapped out: she would be an engraver!

An engraver, of course, but above all a visual artist and creator with an overflowing imagination. A graduate of the Atelier de Gravure et Images Imprimées at Arts2 in Mons, Leslie is constantly adding to her training through various internships at AKDT and Les Ateliers du Livre de Mariemont. From learner to teacher, it's only a short step for Leslie to pass on her passion for printmaking and the plastic arts in numerous workshops for children and adults. These workshops, held for Le Centre Culturel Régional du Centre, at the Atelier du Livre de Mariemont, or for more intimate initiatives such as Les petits matins de la poésie, are moments of exchange and encounter.

With this in mind, she founded Brock'N'Roll EDITIONS, first as a small-print publishing house, then as a workshop, boutique and gallery where life is good for any creator who walks through the door! Visual artists, printmakers, photographers, screen printers, typographers, bookbinders, musicians, writers, poets... whether established or up-and-coming, creators are warmly welcomed, provided they bring with them an original project with ideas to share.

Sharing is indeed Leslie's motto. Whether it's passing on her passion to the very young, transporting her printmaking studio on a bicycle to meet the average man, working on a book with another creator, sharing her knowledge at various workshops, or taking part in various micro-publishing or artist's book markets, Leslie weaves and forges solid, indestructible bonds, which are reflected in her creations (made alone or in collaboration with other artists). Made from little things, her works are the perfect illustration of the art of recovery and misappropriation. And Leslie's cabinet of curiosities never ceases to surprise.

Her participation in numerous competitions and exhibitions has always resulted in unanimous recognition of his artistic approach, considered by her peers to be current and dynamic, a reflection of the times and her contemporaries. Indeed, over time, Leslie has increasingly developed her gum etching activities, drawing inspiration from everyday life.

As a result, her portraits sometimes echo current events, as when she illustrates the players of the national football team, or engraves a celebrity on the occasion of his or her birthday, and sometimes reflect the everyday life of everyone, as when she engraves the portraits of dozens of anonymous people who have crossed her path. Her engraved and inked portraits are reproduced and displayed on her Facebook page, which she updates daily.

A passionate artist, Leslie's love of the book and the book object sows the seeds of creative desire wherever she goes, and from encounters to creations, this desire is becoming more and more concrete, as the Brock'N'Roll boutique, workshop and gallery will soon be accessible in the heart of the town of La Louvière, to which Leslie remains so attached!

For shoppers and the curious, for fervent supporters of art in all its forms, and for recognized and lesser-known artists of all disciplines: to your gouges, your brushes, your pencils, Leslie Leoni opens her heart to you!

Text by Natacha Wallez

Langue : French