Conversations with Anatole Heger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anatole Heger.

Hi Anatole, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Belgium, but when I was five, my family and I left the country to travel around the world with traveling cinema. We traveled at the same time as screening films for children with a German truck.

Our name was Angaleo, and we spent one year in Africa, one year in Asia, and one year in America and South America.

Then we stopped and I grew up for four years in Sucre, Bolivia.

My parents split up at that point, and I moved to Mallorca in Spain.

I lived in Palma de Mallorca for seven years, where I finished my studies at the Lycée Français and where I discovered my passion.

I started painting five years ago, painting in an old abandoned discotheque facing the sea.

It had become a small artist’s residence.

After graduating from high school, I took an intense course in the art market with Sotheby’s NY. Then I took a sabbatical year in Paris, where I was in residence at the “Consulat Paris” and worked for several months, but things didn’t work out as planned, so I left Paris.

I enrolled in the art history program at the Courtauld Museum in London.

At the last minute, I changed my mind; all I wanted to do was paint.

I packed my things and left for Los Angeles in September 2022.

I enrolled in an artist residency called Mohilef Studios in the Fashion District Downtown.

It’s where I paint every day.

I made the best choice; I’m really happy to be able to do every day what makes me happy and what gives me a reason and my freedom.

My first solo show, “Anatole’s Diary” with New Image Gallery took place this summer 2023 in West Hollywood. This is a first step, for which I am very grateful and happy.

I look forward to sharing my vision and my future projects.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s a language that’s constantly developing. Even if I’m not working, I’m still working; my unconsciousness, my conscience, my senses, and my feelings are boiling every day.

Moving to Los Angeles on my own at twenty years old represents an intense change, a new chapter.

This year, this language has matured; it’s a new universe in which I discover myself every day.

The unknown of my path is what stimulates me and allows me to accept the ups and downs and appreciate my freedom in order to build my independence.

I’ve put myself in a situation that’s not easy; it requires discipline & patience.

It’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, and coming to LA showed me that it’s what makes me truly happy.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint to feel light, to capture time through the unknown and give it importance.

I don’t know what I’ll be like in the future because painting lets me live in the present.

What I know is that it won’t stop.

It’s all about discovery and research, and I immediately understood that it was contrasts that made me vibrate.

I’m proud of how I feel about my passion and everything I’ve lived since I’ve been in LA.

I’m proud to have this language and this freedom that I’ve given myself.

I can’t wait to continue down this path; whatever happens, it’s a priceless experience.

I’m proud of the person I am.

I’m happy to have this sensibility and being able to share it.

I want to contribute to our culture.

What matters most to you?
Family and all the people we love close to us. Have dreams and goals.

Enjoy the process, be patient and hungry.

To be aware of time, to know what’s most important to you, to be able to discover yourself, to feel alive.

To be able to build a balance.

Every life is a performance.

We are beings of desire; it’s not easy to be satisfied. Letting go of ideals, not having expectations.

Stay present.

To feel peaceful with yourself.

The duty to remain free.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annnnnatole/
• Other: https://galleryplatform.la/galleries/new-image-art/exhibitions/anatole-heger-anatole-s-diary

Image Credits
First picture, Portrait of Anatole with his work by David Maxwell(David the collector).