b.1994

Paris, France

works and lives between

São Miguel, Paris and Nosy Be

Célia Rakotondrainy was born in Paris in 1994 and currently resides and works between São Miguel, Paris and Nosy Be. After completing her studies at Iéseg Paris, she decided to focus entirely on painting. While pursuing her passion for art, she also enrolled in the Art History program at Oxford through their distance learning program. In 2019, Rakotondrainy furthered her curatorial training at the University of the Arts in Berlin and the Freie Universität in the art market. Rakotondrainy is a self-taught French artist with Malagasy origins.

Her work explores the fluidity of identity through dynamic compositions that challenge perception. Her thick brush strokes symbolize identity's evolving nature—constantly added, transformed, and reformed. Figures are multiplied and reorganized, reflecting deconstruction and understanding. Inspired by her mixed heritage, her portraits blend realism with surrealism, using water and flowers to symbolize transformation and seasonal change.

She's exhibited globally, including Paris, Miami, Washington DC, Atlanta, Barcelona, or Cologne. Her work made it to international art fairs such as NADA and SWAB. She has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Washington Post or The New York Times and has been mentioned in the top 5 artists to watch by Artnet.

“Painting allows me to convey the deep sense of meaning and the beauty that comes with the realization that identity is a journey, not a destination, that we are all works in progress.”