Drawing inspiration from dreams and folklore, Yveline Tropéa creates paintings that defy explanation. A man and woman are wedded on a floating slug, an eyeball-shaped kite pulls miniature figures out of frame, and creatures melt into each other in Tropéa’s surreal scenes. The artist abandons notions of perspective and scale to produce dream-like compositions against backgrounds resembling cosmic ripples or oceans of sand. Working between Paris and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Tropéa’s paintings are influenced by the myriad of cultures and traditions that surround her. Tropéa transcribes events from everyday life and mythology into her canvases, attempting to make sense of the incomprehensible.

Tropéa skillfully mixes hand-beading and embroidery, hiding motifs in plain sight and creating kaleidoscopic backgrounds. Her process begins with free drawing, autonomously transcribing dreams and fantasies onto paper. The artist digitally enlarges the image and maps out color choices and patterns for beading and embroidery. Selections of glass beads and threads draw from local beading techniques and source material from craftspeople in Ouagadougou. Tropéa charts out the direction of each strand, resulting in richly textured imagery that animates the mystical narratives.

Combining traditional materials with a surrealist and spiritual approach to production allows Tropéa to create a world ruled by irrationality, which we are invited into. Much like contemporary life, Tropéa’s work exists in a space of ambiguity, but by venturing into these dream-like images viewers can find inspiration and meaning, widening their own worlds in the process.