Debra Franses

Debra Franses was born in London in 1967. She studied Politics and Economics at the University of Manchester and initially pursued a career in advertising, before enrolling at Central St Martins School of Art (2002-2005) and creating Artbag. It was whilst she was at art school that the idea for Artbags first materialized. Debra took a beautiful handbag from a top couture house and adapted it into a silicone mould for casting. Whilst the first bag was sculpted in heavy white plaster, her next bag, ‘Catch’, was cast in resin and featured a goldfish inside a tank of water, mounted on a plinth. Her first pieces were highly autobiographical, as, through these, Debra visualized how she was feeling about various areas of her life. She has since lived and worked in New York, Europe and London, where she is now based. In 2003, Debra adapted an expensive but impractical designer handbag and created her first handbag case. The design lives on to this day.