Leyla Milou: With gas burner and beeswax for freedom and diversity

Her works sparkle with power, strength, and determination and have since attracted an international audience. Leyla Milou from Switzerland is considered a sought-after newcomer to the scene. What makes her special: Once she gets going, she goes into a positive frenzy full of emotion. As a result, she has already created over 120 works within a year.

From passion to great vision

When Leyla Milou talks about her creative work, her enthusiasm is clear to see. Even as a small child, she preferred to draw comics she bought instead of reading them. Even though her family's background is not in the arts, "For me, drawing and painting have always been a part of my life and a calling," Leyla Milou says today. When the working world was dormant due to the pandemic, she ventured into the public eye... On white canvases, the Swiss artist exerted herself with brush and paint and gave free rein to her creativity. What began with her first works resulted in an enthusiastic frenzy. She paints day and night, says Leyla Milou. Diversity, multifacetedness, freedom, and humanity are at the center of her works. When the self-taught artist posted some of the paintings on social media, an unexpected wave of positive responses followed. Hundreds of art lovers now comment on her works there – personal interpretations and emotional reactions reach her from all over the world.

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Abstract art with a clear message

Because more than 120 works were created in her private premises in just one year, the Swiss artist needed more space. For the past year, she has built her own studio in Bern. Here she has created a creative oasis with plenty of room for freedom. For Leyla Milou, freedom already begins with the creation of her painting layers using the millennia-old encaustic technique. To do this, she works with beeswax, resin, and a Bunsen burner. People, bodies, and emotions usually serve as her inspiration. A central element: diversity. With her works, Leyla Milou wants to show that every person is special and should live out their passion without the social corset. Influenced, she says, by her open worldview. "My works always have a clear message," says the Swiss artist. Meanwhile, art lovers write to her from all over.

#According to the feedback, they feel infected by the power of the message. This feedback inspires the self-taught artist to create new works. There are no strict guidelines for her. With brush in hand, she simply lets her creativity flow. Most of the time, she doesn't know at the beginning where the process of painting will lead in the end. "It's like a love affair.” The artist herself describes the creative process with these words. "Like a dance."

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In demand on the art market: sales already at four-digit prices

At her first exhibition in 2021, the art market reacted with enthusiasm. As many as four works changed hands for a four-figure sum in some cases. The paintings often trigger emotions in the viewers. The attachment to the work is often so strong that the prospective buyers want to hang it in their own rooms. In the past two years, further successful solo and group exhibitions have followed in Switzerland and in the digital space. Nearly 10,000 enthusiastic fans now follow Leyla Milou's latest projects on Instagram alone. In the meantime, even a German professor of social sciences has taken notice of the artist and wants to involve her in a research project on art, resonance, and creativity.

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Tightly timed schedule

The Swiss artist already has a lot on her agenda for the coming months. In the spring, her new studio will be opened with a big celebration. In addition, events featuring her art are planned in Bern and Zurich. In the meantime, even a wine merchant has taken notice of the Swiss artist. Some abstract paintings by Leyla Milou are currently being used to create labels for a type of wine. Also, the first inquiries from potential buyers in the international area were received in the past weeks. Even the family of one of the best-known young talents in the art market of the 21st century has become aware of Leyla Milou and regularly affirms its enthusiasm for her works. Leyla Milou does not allow herself to be irritated by the increasing hype surrounding her own person. She continues to indulge in the positive frenzy of painting, with only one problem: space. "If this keeps up, I'll have to open my own museum," Leyla Milou says, laughing.

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Anyone interested in the Swiss artist's works can find more information at https://www.leylamilou.com/