ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Clara Biel Paints Laundromats and Pool Halls to Slow Down Time

artist · 2026-09-17

Clara Biel, an illustrator from France who goes by Champ Magnétique, is shifting her focus from digital art to painting on canvas. She utilizes bright shades of pink and orange to portray everyday spaces such as laundromats and supermarkets, which she considers "real time capsules" meant to emphasize often-ignored moments. Her lively color choices draw inspiration from 1980s packaging, Pop Art, and The Beatles. In creating festival posters like La Bonne Aventure, Biel encapsulates the spirit of events as "a memory, a sensation, or a fragment of a dream," often incorporating personal phrases for a touch of humor. She views painting as a physical escape from screens and believes that clients favor unique, handcrafted pieces, expressing enthusiasm for future prospects despite the uncertainty surrounding AI.

Key facts

  • Clara Biel is a French illustrator known as Champ Magnétique.
  • She is transitioning from digital illustration to painting on canvas.
  • Her subjects include laundromats, photo booths, supermarkets, and pool halls.
  • She describes these places as "real time capsules" that feel "almost frozen."
  • Her color palette features hot pink, red, and orange, influenced by the 1980s, Pop Art, and The Beatles.
  • She creates posters for festivals such as La Bonne Aventure and Foreztival.
  • Some works include personal phrases like "Keep a tender heart" and "Karma is real."
  • She sees digital illustrations as sketches and paintings as final forms.
  • She believes clients increasingly value human-made art over AI-generated work, particularly in France.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Champ Magnétique
  • Creative Boom
  • La Bonne Aventure
  • Foreztival

Locations

  • France

Sources