Miss Van at INOPERAbLE gallery

When French artist Vanessa Alice Bensimon changed her name to Miss Van, she suddenly became a successful and well-known artist. But to be fair it probably had more to do with her fascinating drawings of weird female shapes and her background in the flourishing graffiti scene in Toulouse than with her pseudonym. When she was just starting out, her dolls were a form of self portraits, used as an alternative to bombing one’s name everywhere. Later on, her focus changed to the provocative. “I have always liked painting a sexy doll in an inappropriate place,” says Van. “I want to provoke strong reactions.”

With her current status as one of the most important current graffiti artists, it’s a shame she has been almost everywhere (even in Schwaz in Austria) but Vienna until now. So go and check out the Exhibition at INOPERAbLE gallery in Vienna starting on the 24th of November. Miss Van will also be presenting her new book “Twinkles”, and yes, you can indeed get it signed.

Burggasse 24
1070 Vienna

Published November 23, 2011.