With thick “bumpy” lines Clémence Mira recreates the sweaty hedonism of raving

From its “darker facets” to its “most innocent and beautiful moments”, the illustrator Clémence Mira loves to delve into the sweaty world of raving: “I love how rave parties can encapsulate an entire world,” she says. In Clémence’s works you’ll come across committed dancers on bustling floors, and partiers chatting away, taking a well-earned break in the smoking area, adorned in leopard print pants, chunky jewellery and teeny tiny sunglasses. All of these scenes and figures are enhanced by Clémence’s trademark “bumpy” line work, the flowing, unpredictable quality adding a certain energy. Focussing on raving is a way for Clémence to visualise the music, empowerment and strong communities that sit at the heart of its culture.

Growing up in a quiet town near Nantes in France, Clémence was always drawn to the bustle of cities, drawing her to the visual world of countercultures. She learnt to draw by copying Enki Bilal’s characters, and discovered punk, rock and gothic aesthetics. After two “transformative” years living in Hangzhou during her teens, she returned to study, and began her creative career as a freelance designer, making posters and identities for clubs and parties across Europe and Asia. Originally, Clémence scanned her sketches, before turning to digital drawings; while at the same time she began shaping her own visual language, leaning into her distinctive, brilliantly bumpy lines.