Explore the world of Lucas Levon, a passionate multidisciplinary artist and expert in nail art. Lucas sailed through various artistic disciplines before plunging into the captivating world of nail art. Through this exploration, he not only honed his expertise, but also blazed his own trail, successfully founding his iconic Paris-based brand, Texto Dallas. Today, he shares his experiences and sources of inspiration in an exclusive interview with Impakt Magazine.
Interview : AWA M.SISSOKO
Talent : Texto Dallas
Hello Lucas, can you introduce yourself in a few lines ?
Ola I’m Lucas Levon aka Texto Dallas, a multidisciplinary artist and nail technician based in Paris. I studied literature, then film, and now I work in my little studio in the 11th arrondissement.
Have you ever worked in another sector? Tell us about your experience before nail art?
Before nails, I was and am many things: I’m an illustrator, painter, writer, director, editor, composer, singer, tattooist, but I’ve mostly made my living in decoration and as a prop-maker in the film industry. I’ve slowly begun a transition where I’m working less and less in this sector, to the point where I’ve lost my intermittence, so now it’s All In Nailart.
What led you to specialize in nail prosthetics?
Years ago I went to Vietnam with my older brother and under a waterfall we saw a bunch of guys in jeans and shirts, smoking. They had a mobster attitude, hiding in the middle of nowhere with a car with tinted windows parked nearby. At the time, seeing cars on the Hanoi side was rather rare and often linked to very wealthy people, politicians or mafiosi. I was filming the whole trip with a mini-DV (cassette) camera, and the guys beckoned us over. I could see that one of the guys, the most present and charismatic, had a hand with long pink nails and cherry blossoms painted on it. He let me film his hands, and he himself smoked his cigarette with them. This vision of strong masculinity, totally at ease in the midst of a very virile circle who had totally accepted this bit of fantasy, marked me to the point of starting to have my nails done in salons, just one hand like this guy. After that, watching the girls work, I felt like taking the plunge. After that, there were a whole series of rather long but equally interesting adventures that led me to the first confinement at home with a complete nail kit, and that’s when my practice began.
What do you like best about this discipline?
What I love about nail art is being able to crystallize any inspiration, emotion, story, reference etc. in a small medium and turn it into such a precious, technical and sophisticated objet d’art. I also love, unlike a lot of mediums, seeing people become completely hysterical once they’ve got nails on their fingertips, it’s very satisfying and it’s allowed me to meet a lot of artists I admire.
It’s clear that your style doesn’t match that of most other nail artists. How do you manage to stand out from the crowd?
I think that not coming from nail art and being an artist first and foremost enabled me to quickly find my own aesthetic. I draw inspiration from nailartists for their technique, and then create shapes that come from my dreams, experiences or culture.
Let’s talk about your projects. Which one is closest to your heart and why?
Recently, I was able to make nails for the Galerie Lafayette automatons; apart from the pleasure of creating original nails with total freedom, it was my first project that paid well enough to make me think of nails as something other than a hobby. So I’ve launched my own brand, Texto Dallas, and I hope to be able to provoke new projects of this kind and export my nails just about everywhere.
What’s your latest project?
My latest project is top secret, but all I can say is that I’ve worked a lot on chance, games of luck and divinity to create a series of nails that flirt with transhumanism and the madness of Las Vegas.
If you had one piece of music that best reflected your personality, what would it be?
I don’t think I’ve found the music that reflects my personality – I hope it doesn’t exist, or that it’s extremely long and intense. But I can share my music of the moment, which reflects both the transition to winter, the melancholy of the sun going down early and the heaviness that is so typical of this time of year :
