"The Sphinx" Painting

Steph Fonteyn is a Swiss-British artist whose work explores identity, perception and the inner process of transformation. Blending abstraction, symbolism and figurative elements, she is interested in the forces that shape how we see ourselves, the patterns that keep us safe, and the courage required to move beyond them.

Her artistic practice has evolved over two decades from explorations of movement, adventure and the external unknown toward the inner landscapes of becoming. Earlier motifs including ski lifts, swimmers and expressive figures became metaphors for risk, resilience and exploration; her current work turns increasingly toward symbolic and intuitive imagery exploring authenticity, protective patterns, integration and conscious choice.

At the heart of Steph’s current practice is a recurring question: Who is holding the brush? Her work explores the tension between the parts of ourselves shaped by fear, conditioning and self-protection, and our capacity to consciously participate in creating who we become.

This inquiry extends beyond the canvas into storytelling and immersive experiences. In her second TEDx talk, How to Transform Your Life by Shifting Your Perception, Steph combined live painting with an exploration of how perspective influences choice and personal transformation.

She is currently developing The Art of Becoming Unapologetically You, a multidisciplinary body of work spanning painting, sculpture, interactive installation, storytelling and a forthcoming book. Supported by an art grant from the Theodore Strawinsky Foundation, the project will culminate in a solo exhibition and book launch in Switzerland in 2027.

Steph began exhibiting in Switzerland in 2005 and has since shown her work internationally. Highlights include her Jazz Colours series at the Montreux Jazz Festival (2010–2011), The 100 Faces Project at Cité du Temps in Geneva (2012–2013), and a series of New York cityscapes painted on used NYC transit cards, which sold out at the Single Fare 4 exhibition in New York in 2017.

Her work has been exhibited across Europe and the United States, including Speerstra Gallery in Switzerland, Art3F Brussels, Spectrum Miami during Art Basel Miami, Art Shopping Paris and Galerie Alpine in Villars.