The Riveting Work Of Marie-Chantal Acka: The Art Issue 2025
Welcome to our Art Issue 2025 digital cover and lead interview.
Here at Story Magazine we tell the stories within fashion, beauty, culture and lifestyle. With reference to culture we are huge enthusiasts of art, music, TV & film and literature. Regarding art specifically we have featured the best in art and have come to know artistic talent when we see it. So when we discovered the work of Marie-Chantal Acka, an illustrator and visual artist based in London whose work hugely fascinates we were blown away at how immense her talent is.
With a cross-disciplinary practice (rooted in illustration) intersecting art with the culinary world, her work explores food as a visual language, re-imagining dishes inspired by her Ivorian roots and personal experiences. Her way with the aesthetics and re-imagination of food culture is riveting.
We were so drawn to the texture & colour palette of her work, her exploration of design through illustration and how her experiences influence her work that we had to have her work grace our 2025 Art Issue cover. Thankfully for us she agreed.
We also have the pleasure of sharing with you today a fascinating conversation with Marie-Chantal about her work; how her relationship with food and personal experiences has inspired her visual output, her thoughts on pairing her practice of illustration with sensory experience and so much more.
Read on to discover an illustrator and visual artist who is a talent to watch and a conversation with her that will inspire…
1. Hi Marie-Chantal, I hope you are well. We are honoured to have you as our Art Issue 2025 cover star. Could you tell us a bit about you and your background?
I’m truly honoured to even be considered, thank you so much.
I’m an illustrator and visual artist based in London. Recently, my practice has taken a more cross-disciplinary direction, intersecting art with the culinary world. I’ve been exploring food as a visual language, reimagining dishes inspired by my Ivorian roots and personal experiences. Through this, I’m working towards creating a space where I can share these creations, celebrate cultures, and invite others into the storytelling.
Illustration is still very much at the heart of what I do, but I’m excited by how it can evolve when paired with other sensory experiences like taste, memory, and ritual.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
2. Could you share with us your art education background? Where did you study and how has it informed your practice?
I started with an art foundation course at Ravensbourne to figure out which pathway I was most interested in — originally intending to pursue a degree in fashion illustration. But I ended up falling in love with relief printing.
I then went to Westminster, but wasn’t happy there, and eventually transferred to LCC, where I studied Illustration and Visual Media.
While I loved illustration, I was especially drawn to mixed media as well as print— That time really pushed me to explore beyond traditional illustration.
University was a very challenging time for me. I was a perfectionist always procrastinating, and I constantly felt like I never had enough time to reach my full potential I knew I had. It was also a really difficult and depressive period in my life.
That said, one of the most valuable things I took away from that time — and something that has really shaped my practice — was learning how to truly research: to observe, to experiment, and to let the process lead the work. Learning to slow down and explore changed everything for me.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
3. You refer to yourself as an illustrator and visual artist. Would you say you are an illustrator or an artist or would you say both?
That’s a great question. I’d say both. Illustration has always been a core part of my identity, but over time it’s naturally intertwined with other mediums — including food and design.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
4. Could your illustrations be seen as art? What are your thoughts on this?
Absolutely. To me, art is about expression, imagination, and inviting people into a feeling or conversation — and that’s what I hope my work does. I love drawing from memories and experiences and using them to create something new.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
5. Your illustrations are riveting. Could you tell us a bit about it and what you are trying to do with it?
Thank you, that means a lot. Honestly, I’m still figuring that out. I’m at a stage of exploration — finding inspiration through travel, and in the everyday.
The past few years were tough creatively. I felt uninspired and criticised myself a lot for not producing work. But I’ve learned to embrace those quiet moments and that It’s okay to be uninspired. You can’t force it. Sometimes, as creatives, we just need that long pause.
Coming into 2025, I’ve felt more inspired than I have in a long time — even if that doesn’t always mean making illustrations. I’m exploring other mediums – food, that I know will eventually find their way back into my visual work.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
6. Your work surrounding food has us obsessed. What led to your practice in this area?
I’m obsessed with food. It has always been present in my work in some way — even when I was doing comic strips early on. I’d illustrate cereal boxes or detailed takeaway packaging.
As a child, I spent summers visiting family in the French countryside, and that’s where my fascination with food culture really began. I was drawn to the aesthetics — the cheeses, the wine, the patisseries, merguez — and the cross blend of French and West/ North African cuisines.
I used to bring back French cereal boxes and snacks just to stay connected to that world. I’d make croque madames at home— which later inspired one of my favourite illustrations.
Over time (and after growing up a very fussy eater), I started to appreciate food more deeply. I became more open — trying things I once squirmed at — and I’ve been on a food journey ever since. Travelling, eating out when I can afford it, and exploring different cuisines has become a way to reconnect with myself and the world.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
7. Why this work re-imagining food? What is it about food that draws you to explore it?
This journey with food has also been about parenting my inner child. It’s a way of reclaiming my relationship with my Ivorian roots — moving between past and present, between loss and rediscovery.
Recreating the dishes I loved growing up, whether from Côte d’Ivoire or France, gives me a strong sense of connection. I wanted to be surrounded by that feeling every day.
Reimagining those dishes — while still using familiar ingredients, flavours and techniques allows me to be playful and creative. It becomes a way to honour memory, while also making something entirely new.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
8. What would you say is your favourite work so far?
One of my favourites has to be the illustration of the croque madame and bed amalgamation. It’s a surreal piece that blends fantasy with dark reality.
It’s personal. It explores escapism. Growing up, all I wanted was to escape reality — food and sleeping were both my access. My summers in Champagne-Ardenne were the one part of my childhood that felt joyful; the rest was marked by toxicity.
In my adolescence, I struggled deeply with dysania — barely leaving my bed. I used to religiously eat croque madames because they were addictive but most importantly, they reminded me of France, of feeling free and safe.
That illustration represents all of that: the comfort of nostalgia, the security of rest, but also the tension — the idea that comfort can become a confinement. A bed can become a sickbed. Food can become something you rely on too heavily you become sick of it. It’s an illustration of both the beauty and difficulty of what I’ve lived through — and a reminder of how far I’ve come.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
9. We could see the imagery of food compiled in a book. Would you be open to publishing your work ?
Absolutely. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I’d love to create a book that brings together illustrations, stories, recipes, and a pool of visual archives.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
10. What is inspiring your work currently?
Travel is a big one — experiencing different cultures, especially through food. I also find a lot of inspiration in going to supper clubs.
Interestingly, my own personal struggles — particularly with health — have been unexpectedly inspiring. They’ve made me appreciate that I can still enjoy life and be creative, even when my circumstances change. It’s pushed me to find new ways to create joy.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
11. You have a mastery of colour. Tell us a bit about your approach to colour both in your illustrations and work with food.
It’s funny because I wasn’t always confident with colour. I actually found it quite overwhelming when I started university, and I lost patience with it when art started to feel serious.
I began with markers, felt tips, Copics, Poscas, watercolours but at heart, I’ve always leaned towards monochrome. It allows the details within my work to take centre stage.
Everything changed for me when I discovered relief printing. I was introduced to risograph printing during my foundation course, and was immediately drawn to its vibrant colours and the beauty in its imperfections. As someone who had been a harsh perfectionist, the unpredictable nature of the process pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to experiment more playfully. It reignited my love for colour and texture in a completely new way.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
12. What artists or illustrators are on your radar ?
Obou Gbais, Tatale by Akwasi Brenya Mensa, and Cato.ink.
By Matie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
13. We could see you being approached by high fashion houses to collaborate with them. What are your thoughts on such partnerships and what brands would you be enthusiastic about working with ?
Definitely. I think it’s a beautiful way to merge the creativity and craft of both food and fashion. SSENSE comes to mind — it’s where I first discovered so many diverse designers and labels that really resonated with me.
Another dream collaboration would be with Air Afrique. They’re not a fashion house per se, they’re a collective that transports through time celebrating post-colonial African identity through fashion, art, and culture. I love their exploration especially their football concept and collaboration with Louis Vuitton and Pharrell. I’d love to work with them on something that brings together African-inspired dishes and design.
By Marie-Chantal Acka. Courtesy of Marie-Chantal Acka
14. Finally on a last note, please describe your work and practice in five separate words.
Autobiographical, sweet , experimental, adventurous and maybe aesthetically pleasing.
Final Thoughts
It is a great honour for us to have Marie-Chantal Acka’s work grace our Art Issue cover this year. It was also an honour to be able to speak to the visual artist and illustrator so intimately about her work and practice.
It is without a doubt that she is hugely talented and is one to watch.
We know it is a given that soon there will be immense press about her work, inspiring collaborations that will see her partner with the brands that sit well with her practice and that there will be a myriad of many a books with regards her work.
Many kind thanks to her for this feature and interview.
Stay inspired by Marie-Chantal’Acka’s work via her portfolio here.
Catch-up on our last digital cover starring Obibini himself here.
By Marian Kwei (formerly Kihogo) Story Magazine Editorial Director.