Today we introduce you to Elsa, a talented artist and high level athlete with incredible energy. It is in Hong Kong, where she has been living for ten years and created Elsa Jeandedieu Studio - with a team of 100% female artists - that Elsa lives her three passions: art, nature and sport. Both a trail running champion (ranked 17th in her category at the Chamonix Ultra Trail 100km in 2017 - no less!), and a visual artist, she creates murals all over the world (for Chanel, Victoria's Secret...) and also on the walls of Hong Kong.
So tell us Elsa, who are you?
I am a French artist who has been living in Hong Kong for 10 years, and I spend my time between construction sites, trails in the mountains, and the ocean_COPY a combo far from ideal for my hair...! ;-)
Where were you born, and what brought you to Hong Kong?
I was born in the south of France - I am originally from Nîmes, then I studied in Paris and then I went to Hong Kong. I was attracted by the adventure and especially by the overflowing energy that a city like Hong Kong could offer me. This city never ceases to enrich me and to teach me a little more about who I am every day.
Tell us about your mural series 'The Smiles' in Hong Kong?
As a child, my parents said I was a ray of sunshine, I spent my time smiling at people... then adult life, stress, social pressure, women's complexes, made me duller and much less smiling. Painting smiling characters allows me to reconnect with my true nature, but also to make complete strangers smile. Living in a busy, multicultural city like Hong Kong is challenging on many levels, and my work, for a few minutes, brings people together around a universal language: smiling.
You also have another passion, which takes you to the top of the mountains... Tell us about it! And what is the link between your two worlds?
When I came to Hong Kong, I discovered my passion for trail running - running in the mountains. I am now part of a professional team, which has become a bit like my family here. One of my nicknames is 'the running mural maker'... It's impossible for me to create without having these moments of freedom in the montages to run and to make the vacuum. I am one of those people who need to be in motion to think and create. My only problem is that going for a run for me often means going for many hours - even 100 km...!
Tell us about your hair... how is it? What kind of relationship do you have with it, do you leave it loose or do you straighten it?
When I was still living in France and I didn't do any sports at all, I straightened my hair and had almost always 'perfect' hair... since then, the Asian humidity has taken over! Between my daily workouts with elastic bands and swimming caps, and the dust from my construction sites, my poor hair sees all kinds of colors from morning to night. The crucial moment is, I must say, the evening, when the runner doesn't train and the artist doesn't work, and the woman that I am wants to find an elegant and seductive look: it's not always easy because my wavy hair is not so easily tamed! And yes, they too can do what they want!
Your smiling women all have wind in their hair - a bit like you! Does this represent a form of freedom?
My hair over time has become as wild as the woman I am... what's the point of trying to tame the untameable because the curl always comes back at a gallop!!! I have learned to accept who I am and to find my true nature.
Finally, we have our usual 3 questions:
What is your #hairtop?
Applying oil to my hair after a swim in the sea! On my last vacation in Australia, at Bondi Beach, after swimming 2km, I lay down in the sun on the sand and applied some oil (Shaeri Skin Care Oil of course!!;)... my hair was so soft afterwards!
What about your #hairflop?
After my last 44km run, when I took off my cap and untangled my mat!
And your #hairtips?
I don't have much time to take care of my hair, leaving a mask on for hours.... So I opt instead for simple and effective gestures, several times a day: so I apply Shaeri Daily Care in the morning when I wake up to restructure my curls, then after my workouts, and also before going out for dinner... It's become a must-have that I always take with me!
Last question: what can we wish you for the future?
My dream as an artist would be to paint my 'smiling faces' on the walls of cities all over the world... and to combine this passion for painting with that of running! I have lots of ideas to make this dream come true, so I just have to wish me that it does :)
