Michaela Sanson-Braun

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT MICHAELA SANSON-BRAUN

In short: After twenty years of mind-boggling career adventures in London alongside my art practice, I’m finally doing what I always wanted: painting. I explore painting in a holistic way, beyond its surface, often bringing it into dialogue with its own support, the frame, and other materials, including three-dimensional objects. Painting becomes one of many possibilities of visual interaction: a flexible state between surface and volume, or an instant snapshot of a journey between 2D and 3D.My work often takes as a starting point a specific set of parameters that define its context and consequently the direction an installation takes. The paintings usually act as building blocks within a larger construct—one that also reflects on the very process of artistic creation, like a mise en abyme of the work itself.The long version:What’s immediately clear from my rather diverse (some might say eclectic) CV is the sheer variety of jobs I’ve done - and that’s worth unpacking.After studying art for 5 years in Germany, I completed a two-year Master’s degree in Fine Art (Painting) at the Slade School in London. I stayed on afterwards, determined to make a living as an artist. To make ends meet, I first worked in hospitality, where I unexpectedly built a parallel career, rising from waitress to sommelière at Hakkasan, then to head sommelière and wine buyer for Club Gascon.Working evenings initially seemed ideal, as it left my days free for the studio. But in the long run, it meant missing out on vital art-world networking, like exhibition openings and other events. While searching for a job that could better coexist with my artistic practice, I took on all sorts of roles - architecture model-maker, art fabricator, PA, educational officer, workshop leader, graphic designer, document production manager and data manager, to name but a few. In the end, operating this way kept me evolving, but not in the direction I wanted.Over time, it became clear that something had to change. When Brexit happened in 2019, it felt like the right moment to take stock and start anew. My family and I moved to France, creating the space for me to finally focus fully on my work as a visual artist. Since then, I’ve exhibited in museums such as the MASC in Les Sables-d’Olonne, in galleries such as Scroll and RDV in Nantes, with the contemporary art centre Le Carré, with the FRAC des Pays de la Loire and the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud.I also teach sixteen hours a week at the École des Beaux-Arts de Nantes Saint-Nazaire, combining my passion for teaching with my artistic practice.