In Conversation With Multidisciplinary Artist and Founder of IÉFO Keren Lasme.
Artisan Stories is a focus on those who create with their hands, forming an alchemical process of transforming raw materials into functional objects. It is a deeper lens into the spiritual aspects of the maker’s life and how their discipline brings healing and transcendence to their way of being.
For our third instalment of Artisan Stories, we are pleased to introduce the multidisciplinary artist, writer, researcher and founder of IÉFO Keren Lasme. Keren takes us on a journey to her earlier years spent with her grandmother in Côte d'Ivoire, recollecting memories that led to her passion for creating African adornments for many to love.
Keren wearing earrings from IÉFO.
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is kEren I am an Ivorian Akan, Adjoukrou-Ahisi to be specific. I am an aesthete/artist whose playground is the dreamscape. I was born in Côte d’Ivoire and raised between Abidjan and Bordeaux.
Can you tell us about IÉFO and how it serves your community?
IÉFO is an art practice that explores ways of making that is rooted in intentionality, slowness and soulfulness. An imagined sacred space from which I create “things”/objects/collectibles/adornments - beautiful designs - made by hands and inspired by Africa’s material and immaterial cultures. I collaborate hand in hand with skilled artisans in Abidjan who come from generations of people initiated to the art of craftsmanship and who have a profound respect for the material they work with.
My practice contributes to the local economy. It also helps sustain long-standing traditions and practices rooted in handwork and in the use of materials available in our immediate environment. Organic matters.
Oly earrings by IÉFO.
Where does the word IÉFO originate from and what does it mean to you?
IÉFO means beauty in Ahisi, my mother’s mother tongue. Essentially, it is used to describe a certain energy that someone radiates. It is beautiful, magnetic, captivating and exhilarating at once and this person’s energy is nurtured by their love of life, beauty and mystery.
How has IÉFO helped develop yourself spiritually?
Choosing to pursue IÉFO as an art practice, set me on this ever-unfolding path to self-discovery and spiritual awakening that transformed my understanding of life. It led me to see creativity, art and spirituality as one and the same and to trust the unknown. If one wishes to live a creativity-filled life, tapping into the divine realm of infinite possibilities is the only way and the less travelled road. Spirituality/Creativity pushes me out of my comfort zone, deepens my perceptions of things and enriches my existence and experience on Earth and of life. I also know that following this path allows me to connect with my matrilineal heritage. My great-grandmother Andai was a phenomenal potter and healer working with Earth medicine.
“If one wishes to live a creativity-filled life, tapping into the divine realm of infinite possibilities is the only way and the less travelled road.”
Was there a childhood experience that sparked your love for jewellery?
When I was five or six years old and still living in Abidjan, I used to help Mémé (my grandmother) make Akan jewellery for weddings, parties and festivals of generations which are ceremonies that celebrate individuals entering a new age group hence acquiring a new status and responsibilities in their community.
Mémé used to pull from underneath her bed very large metal and plastic bowls and trays filled with beads of all shapes, colours, sizes and textures. Krobo beads, Venetians beads, amber beads, stone beads, earthen beads, glass beads, very tiny beads, flat beads, you name it! I can still remember the sound every bead made when coming out of their hiding place. Mémé would put on her eyeglasses which we used to make fun of because they had few remaining parts.
Meticulously, she would select and count each set of beads she needed for her creation. One gold centrepiece representing an Akan symbol, two or four Akan gold weights, a number of beads to be placed equally on each side of the fishing thread and a clasp.
She would place her selection on a round tray and hand it over to me. From that moment on, my task was to focus my attention on the beads and hand them over to her one by one and in the right order so she could place them on the string. This meditative practice and bonding moment with Mémé was my initiation into art itself and the art of Akan jewellery making. It taught me patience, dexterity and attention to detail.
If you could make a bespoke piece for anyone, who would it be and why?
Initially, I thought about myself because I rarely wear my own pieces but in hindsight, I would make one for Mémé because I stand on her shoulders.
“Withdrawing myself from the outside world from time to time through solitude, and social media breaks is also a big part of my self-care practice.”
What are some of your practices for cultivating self-care?
I do a lot of things that help me maintain a state of equilibrium, a sense of joy, pleasure, hope, self-fulfilment, clarity and love so that when challenges arise, I can rely on these energies. Conscious eating is one of them even though at the moment I am a bit out of balance because I moved to a new country and realigning with my eating habits has been a bit challenging. I have also been journaling every morning for the past four years and anyone familiar with the work of Julia Cameron has an idea of what the morning pages are. Withdrawing myself from the outside world from time to time through solitude, and social media breaks is also a big part of my self-care practice as well as meditation and contemplation. I do my best to go to the botanical park once a week to connect with nature. I have also introduced naps into my daily routine as well as doing absolutely nothing! Having an organized routine around work also helps with not being overwhelmed.
Any films/series you would recommend?
I recently came across In Our Mothers' Gardens, a beautifully made, heartwarming and inspiring documentary celebrating stories of strength and resilience of generations of black women in America. It was inspired by Alice Walker’s collection of essays In Search Of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Another documentary I would recommend is InnSaei, which explores the Icelandic concept of empathy and intuition. It features one of my favourite African writers, Malidoma Somé who is now an ascended ancestor since December 2021.
What would you like to pass on to the future generation that may be interested in Jewellery making?
Our life paths are so unique and different that the only advice that would fit our individual journey is to be truthful to our inner wisdom when setting on a creative journey be it jewellery making or culinary art.
Thank you Délika for allowing me to deeply reflect on my practice through this conversation.
