Inspirational Artist: Malika Favre

Written by Jood, Teen Volunteer
Halifax Public Libraries' Teen Blog is written by and for teens. Discover more posts here.


Contemporary Op & Pop artist: Malika Favre

Malika Favre is a French illustrator and graphic artist based in London who creates a combination of Pop art and Op art. She was born in 1982.

Interestingly enough, Malika actually wanted to be a quantum engineer and she even went to a science prep school after high school! She then went on to an art school in Paris where she learned that she really wanted to be an artist and decided to move to London.

Just her courage to get out of her comfort zone and pursue art as a career is inspirational on its own, let alone her talent. 

What is Pop art & Op art?

Pop art, opens a new window is a style of art based on simple, bold images of everyday items.
Op art, opens a new window is a style that uses abstract patterns and contrast to confuse and excites the eye.

Favre's art

You might have already seen Malika Favre's work before, as she's created several pieces for many well-known publications such as Vogue, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. She also sells her personal work on her website. 

She is famous for using colours to create minimal and bold pieces.

There are so many powerful themes and imageries she plays around with in her pieces that never fail to inspire me. Even if you don’t like the style of art,—let's be honest here—you can't stop staring at her work!

I find the way she uses her bright colour palette is, in a word, perfect. She's known for painting with shadows but her work seems to be one of the brightest I have seen.

I also love how she incorporates red in almost all of her pieces. It's not easy to use red without letting it take over your piece. But, she's mastered utilizing red and using this eye-catching colour to enrich her message and piece. To me, that's what makes Malika Favre’s work so compelling.

She will always have a unique way of combining colour, simplicity and her own special touch in every piece to not only create a beautiful piece of art but also a visually powerful stance on various social issues.

I can't get enough of her art!

My art

I have decided to paint a Malika Favre-inspired painting to be shown at Halifax Central Library! Keep your eye on our teen blog for an announcement of when it will be displayed.

The subject of the painting I'm working on is Stephanie Kurlow., opens a new window She's the world's first professional Hijabi ballerina and an inspiration to not only me, but thousands of other girls around the world. She is paving the way for other women in her field.

Like Malika Favre, I wanted my piece to not only illustrate a powerful woman in contemporary history, but also to include easter eggs, opens a new window for the viewer. The painting will resemble a certain World War II poster that promotes feminism and opposition to other political issues as both Malika Favre and Stephanie Kurlow are challenging both each day with their work.

Learn more

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites I used for my information:

Malika Favre website, opens a new window
Malika Favre Wikipedia, opens a new window
Stephanie Kurlow interview - Pointe, opens a new window

Follow these women on Instagram:
Stephanie Kurlow, opens a new window

Malika Favre, opens a new window


About the writer

My name is Jood Shikara and I’m 15 years old. I'm currently in COVID-19 quarantine just like you. I have a dwarf hamster named Sesame who lives luxuriously. My life these days tend to centre around him and I am not mad about it! I’ve always thought learning was really fun but I like learning specifically about things that they don't teach you in school, like how to take care of a hamster! I love trying and learning about different styles of art because I want to channel my creativity in new and interesting ways.