The Art of Healing Through Creation: In Conversation with Hélène Panier

Hélène is one of those women who immediately captivate you ~ grounded, intuitive, and quietly magnetic. Originally from Brittany and now based in Barcelona, she spent years working in biotechnology before returning to her first love: art. Today, she moves between painting, illustration, and tattooing, exploring the feminine body as both muse and mirror. Her work reveals the delicate tension between strength and softness, shadow and light ~ an ongoing conversation about womanhood, vulnerability, and self-acceptance. There’s an honesty in everything she creates, a feeling that each piece is an act of healing, both for herself and for the women who see themselves reflected in her art.

Photo by Martin Merino @martinmerino.ph

I love moments of pure synchronicity. Hélène and I first met in one of those perfectly aligned moments. The day before a personal photoshoot she had planned as a self-love ritual, she discovered my lingerie brand. It wasn’t about seduction or fashion, but about reclaiming herself ~ a woman choosing to fall in love with her own reflection, her own body, her own essence. She reached out to borrow a few pieces that made her feel both strong and soft, exactly as she wanted to feel for that shoot.

There was an instant recognition ~ two artisans, two women guided by the same heartbeat: to celebrate vulnerability as power, and to honor the sacred, raw beauty of womanhood.

Through our conversation, I realized how naturally we both approach our work as a form of therapy: the art of healing through creation. Whether it’s through fabric or ink, we each explore the body as a canvas for emotion, for stories, for self-acceptance. What began as a spontaneous exchange has grown into a deeper creative dialogue. One rooted in shared values, sensitivity, and the desire to express what it truly means to inhabit a woman’s body. There’s an unspoken rhythm between us, a meeting point where art, femininity, and healing quietly intertwine.

What followed was a thoughtful exchange on art, womanhood, and the transformative power of vulnerability.

The Collective Feminine

C: You often draw inspiration from the women around you. Do you think stepping in front of the camera connected you to that collective experience in a new way? How did it feel to shift roles and have your own body become the canvas through photography?

H: "It was a strange and powerful experience. During the shoot, wearing Hervé’s pieces, I truly felt like a woman ~ in a way I hadn’t before. Between embodying and expressing, something shifted: when I finally saw the photos, I cried. I found her ~ me ~ beautiful, and I hadn’t believed I was capable of that.

For me, the word “woman” has always held something sacred, almost like a secret community I admired from the outside but never felt fully part of. My fascination for the women 's bodies started early : I did my first nude sculpture at twelve yo. Yet, I often felt clumsy, as if I didn’t have the right codes to be a woman.

So yes, it was a deeply moving experience. And I can’t emphasize enough the role of Martin, the photographer. He creates such a safe, trusting space ~ the kind where you can let go and connect with your sensuality, even when it doesn’t come easily. He has a way of making you feel beautiful because he truly sees you I think."

Self-Image Through Time

C: If you could compare how you viewed your body as a younger woman versus how you view it now ~ as both artist and subject ~ what has shifted most profoundly?

H: "As a younger woman, I struggled a lot with my body. I went through eating disorders, and through other dark episodes… My body felt like a trigger, something I rejected. Pregnancy made things complicated again ~ the drastic changes were hard to embrace. After my son was born, it took my sister’s love and patience, especially through yoga, to help me reconnect with and respect my body. What changed most over the years is that I shifted from seeing my body to feeling it. From judging to respecting it. And now, at 43… I can honestly say I’ve learned to love it."

Photos by Martin Merino @martinmerino.ph

The Interplay of Science and Art

C: Coming from a world of science and biotechnology, how does that rational lens meet the intuitive, emotional side of your art ~ especially when it comes to expressing the body and femininity? Do you think this duality shapes your experience of the female body differently?

H: "I think the scientific part mostly shows up in how I care for my body ~ understanding the importance of exercise, nutrition, hormones, and cycles, especially now as I enter the perimenopause era. Science gives me the knowledge to understand what’s happening and adapt my routines. The rational part that I balance with the more “sensitive/intuitive” me, respecting my own boundaries and listening to my body when it talks.

On the artistic side, my rational brain makes me a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to proportions in my drawings. But beyond that, it’s where emotion takes over ~ where I let intuition guide me. So yes, this duality shapes the way I experience the female body: science gives me structure, art gives me freedom."

To the Woman I was Becoming

C: What advice would you have given your younger self ~ as a woman, artist, and mother ~ about self-acceptance and embracing your body?

H: "Oh, this is such a tender topic. I would tell her she is loved and beautiful. I would tell her that the things she hates ~ like the gap in her teeth ~ will one day become her most charming feature. That beauty comes from love, respect, and care. I would tell her a woman can be smart and pretty, strong and sensual, feminine and assertive. She can be a scientist and an artist. I would tell her she will become a badass, tattooed mum, and that the little girl she was would love the woman she has become. Because today… I finally do."

Photos by Martin Merino @martinmerino.ph

Our paths continue to cross in ways that feel natural ~ two visions slowly weaving together, shaped by the same devotion to women, art, and self-expression. For her self-portrait session, Hélène wore the following pieces from our timeless collections: The SYNTOSIS set, the ILUCIA body, and the ANNECY harness ~ each capturing a different expression of softness and power. Discover more of Hélène’s work and the women who inspire her via the link below.

Discover the world of Hélène Panier