Marquise
Composite collages, reflections of our diversity
COURSE
How did you start creating in the street?
Although I've been doing collage since I was very young, I started working in the street almost two years ago. There are many reasons for this, but I realized that you shouldn't wait to live your dreams, and putting my collages up outdoors was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. In Paris, I was fascinated by urban art, the colors, the artists, and the mediums. One day I took the plunge, and it became an addiction. When creating in the street, we all inevitably question the legality of it. It's not something I specifically seek out; it doesn't motivate me. I'm aware of it and I act accordingly, but I'm not addicted to breaking the rules. On the contrary, I consider that I respect the rules quite a bit, even if some can be circumvented when you weigh the consequences of your actions: I'm not trying to provoke anyone; I act because I want to.
Collage was therefore a natural choice of medium.
It has always been easier for me, being somewhat shy, to communicate with images, because visuals convey so much. I am particularly passionate about photography, especially war reportage: these photos tell such a story that they sometimes overshadow words. This medium, which fascinates me, embodies the idea of transmission and rewriting, allowing for a true exploration of the imagination.
In what way is the street a unique space for creation?
From the moment I started putting up posters in the street, I found what I was looking for in life: a space where people can breathe, where they can connect despite their differences, and meet other artists. The street offers a window onto the world that interests me. It's also a way to make art accessible, because there will always be an artist, colors, a medium, a message, or a location that will appeal to people. I love this idea of an open-air gallery: since some people don't like going to museums, the street offers them the opportunity to see artworks while making wonderful connections and meeting other artists. Urban art is truly something that brings people together.
Many urban artists play on scale and the ambivalence of life-size figures. Conversely, you choose to work with smaller formats.
It's a pragmatic choice: today I print A3 pieces that I then arrange together. I would love to create very large formats because the medium would be perfectly suited to it, but it's a question of cost. For now, I work with several pieces, which allows me to achieve an intermediate scale over a meter in width. Larger pieces would present another challenge: the choice of a specific wall and a more elaborate presentation.
A COMPOSITE UNIVERSE
Where do the images you use come from?
I work with characters around whom I build my stories: these main images are my own. They are generally people I know, including many friends and family members. I have a personal connection to these works: the model who posed for my collage reinterpreting Magritte—an artist I greatly admire—is, for example, a very close friend. I find it wonderful to be able to celebrate these people and transform them into the heroes of my adventures: it gives these pieces an even more powerful dimension.
How are your collages composed? Do you design them beforehand or based on the chosen wall?
I tend to create the stories beforehand, even before I fall in love with a wall or a place. Nevertheless, there's always an element of unpredictability, because my images are composed of several elements, and I never know how they'll come together until the moment I install them. For my latest collage, the composition truly adapted to the alcove I was working in, allowing the elements to extend beyond the frame, something I hadn't anticipated. I try to let myself be surprised, to maintain a degree of freedom that allows me to be inspired by the moment. Since the lockdown, I've wanted to rethink my work: that's why I'm trying to play with this spontaneity, to compose as I go. I don't have a specific goal, no preconceived plan, which allows me to learn and evolve with each encounter and event.
Have you always developed a surreal universe?
I've always loved Surrealism and the work of Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, the idea of looking at something differently in order to reinterpret it: it's this plurality of viewpoints that allows a group looking at the same cloud to see different shapes. It's also the principle behind the Rorschach test: each person sees what they want in the inkblot. This surrealism grants the viewer freedom, a fundamental freedom in urban art, just as it is in life. This form of street art offers the opportunity to break the rules a little, so why not take advantage of it to give free rein to one's imagination, one's being, one's personality?.
What other images will you use to complete your universe? It is interesting to see in your work the different parts remain independent: your works unfold by juxtaposing them.
Images are my passion: I've been collecting things that appeal to me since the dawn of time. I store them in folders and mix them haphazardly: there will be things from the 90s alongside much more recent pieces. These items can come from anywhere: sometimes I stumble upon a flyer whose design I love. I then try to let myself be seduced by these images so I can bring them together: the magic happens when I manage to produce a harmonious result. Since their origins are so diverse, it's natural to feel like you're finding different inspirations within them. This juxtaposition of forms and eras is interesting, and my world is built on this eclecticism, an assemblage of inconsistencies that I then make coherent.
Do you only glue unique pieces?
As this is a composition in situ And since I use several elements, I'll never get the same result twice. A piece in twenty-four parts or more gives the collage a unique dimension. However, I do sometimes reuse compositions, especially when I travel abroad or do sessions with other artists. But I like the idea of a piece being as rare as possible: for example, there's a collage depicting the journey of a person in a wheelchair, flying with balloons above a city: it's so complicated to assemble that I won't do it again!
The final assembly is therefore decided at the time of installation.
Absolutely, and I imagine it's the same for any painter who adds elements touch by touch. When I'm composing a mural, I'm detached from my surroundings, absorbed in the process so I can create as the mood unfolds. The final image will therefore depend on my state of mind, and sometimes also on the weather: depending on the weather, I'll probably want to add more or fewer butterflies, which I always keep in an envelope, without necessarily placing them. As a result, I always maintain an element of unpredictability: I can't anticipate what will actually happen. The fact is, I take a lot of time working on a mural, and it's best if the police don't happen to be there, unlike a graffiti artist who could spray paint extremely quickly.
So, do you consider the piece finished when you preview it on screen or when the installation is complete?
A piece is truly finished when it's glued down. If I feel I have enough time, I step back several times to get an overall view and decide whether it's complete or not. The weather can play a role: if it's very hot, the drying time will be very short and the possibility of making changes reduced. There are also days when I prioritize efficiency and others when I prefer to take my time. When I'm gluing with other artists, sometimes they're the ones who ask me to stop!
ONE FOR ALL
In an interview you mentioned the idea of diversity. Why is this theme central to your work?
The idea of diversity is very important to me because, having had the opportunity to live abroad for almost fifteen years as a child, I was exposed to other cultures, to the Other, to a rich array of personalities. I am committed to representing this diversity because I want everyone to feel at home in the world we live in and share. We tend to isolate ourselves within a community, to withdraw into ourselves and our peers: I want my work to counter this idea, to unite people and foster open-mindedness, encouraging them to meet and communicate, setting aside the differences we think we have. This question of living together, which extends to activism, is reflected in the characters I portray: that everyone can be included, regardless of their age, origin, physical appearance, or sexual orientation.
I'm talking about feminism because as long as gender equality doesn't exist, it will be necessary to address it. But I believe there are different ways to approach the subject; mine is this question of how individuals are treated. Feminism isn't about women's hegemony over men: it's about equal rights and the possibility of speaking of human beings rather than genders.
Your work demonstrates the possibility of having a creation that is both committed and poetic.
I think my work can be seen in different ways, which is why it's important to me that everyone makes it their own. It can have an aesthetic or poetic dimension; a story open to interpretation that will vary from person to person; but also a more politically engaged dimension. Personally, I'm quite politically engaged, but I wouldn't want to impose my ideas on anyone; I want everyone to remain free. I believe activism can be gentle, and art is a very good medium for conveying messages without being confrontational.
Do you think it is essential that work be undertaken in the street?
I think everyone should do what they want. There are some purely aesthetic graphic styles and others that are more politically engaged, even activist. Everything blends together in the street, and no one is forced to follow that path. There are people who want to create beauty, and that can be enough in itself. Our work reflects our personality: mine is politically engaged because it reflects who I am in everyday life, and I couldn't do without it.
The street, however, remains fertile ground for demands and forms of activism. Collages of Femicides for example, they restore to the street its place as a crucible of social and political struggles.
Historically, I think that public spaces were more often used for activist interventions than artistic ones. Posters and slogans existed long before any disengaged artistic expression. What's interesting today is being able to think of the street as a multidimensional space of expression, encompassing different spheres: art, activism, but also marketing. Faced with certain advertisements, we no longer know if we're looking at art or a product. Therefore, everyone must find their place in this urban space of fragmented worlds.
Urban art sometimes takes the easy way out, promoting simplistic messages or non-controversial works that ultimately don't engage anyone. In contrast, you choose to develop an effective and discreet form of engagement.
My goal isn't to close doors but to open them as wide as possible, without labeling myself. Living together is the opposite of isolation: for World Deaf and Hard of Hearing Day, I created a collage around this event. It represented the word "diversity" in sign language. The person who posed for it was herself hard of hearing. There's a multidimensionality to my work: you have to dig deeper to see it, but those who wish to can do so, while those who only want to see the poetic aspect can be satisfied with that. In my world, we would all be allies: it's a bit utopian, but you have to dream big.
A LOOK AT THE STREET
What emotion would you like the viewer to feel when looking at your work?
I don't think I have any expectations in that regard, as long as I want to be myself without being judged. So I try to be tolerant of the viewer, allowing them to interpret the work as they see fit, whether their reaction is positive or negative. I take the liberty of expressing myself, and people react as they wish: if they tear down a piece, that's their right, although I don't encourage them to do so, because once the artwork is in place, it belongs to everyone. I sometimes hear all kinds of reactions: recently, a little girl told me it was ugly, and her mother wanted to scold her! That doesn't bother me; you shouldn't let your ego get the better of you. Not everyone can like what you do, and that's a good thing.
Collage is by its very nature the most ephemeral urban medium.
The ephemeral nature of it doesn't bother me. I made peace with that idea fairly quickly when I started out in the street, because you get torn down, cleaned up, and removed by the city services, even if a collage sometimes stays up for several months, or even a year. For me, that's part of the game; once it's pasted up, the piece is no longer mine: it's still the fruit of my labor, but offered to the street, without me being traumatized by what might happen to it.
Photography plays an important role in the creation of your work: what role does it play once the collage is in place?
I always strive for a good aesthetic representation of my work. The photograph has to please my eye. But there's also a desire for archiving, because since the artwork is ephemeral, photographing it in its urban environment allows it to become eternal. It doesn't matter if it disappears, because a memory of its presence remains. If I paste it up at night, I return the very next morning to photograph it, to have a record. The artwork is thus inscribed in the urban landscape, and whatever happens, happens. You could say that my street art work goes from the conception of an idea to the final image, by way of the staging.
Do you feel like you are part of an artistic movement?
I'm fully aware of the urban art movement that has evolved since the 1960s. I'm very curious about the artists I encounter in the street, not just French ones, and I think it's very important to know what world you're entering. But I don't think anyone can decide whether I belong to it or not. You could consider me part of it just like other artists, but until you're dead, it's difficult to judge where you stand. I'm working in the present: right now I'm putting up posters, I'm lucky enough to meet a lot of artists, to constantly encounter people. I don't know what place this movement will have in history, but it's already evolving, with its own specific characteristics: for example, there are many poster artists in Paris and France, whereas in other countries you see far fewer.
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