In preparation for her solo exhibition, we sat down with MC Marquis to talk about her process and the psychology behind "We're All Kinda Fucked Up" - read on for a sneak peek at the interview between MC and our gallery manager, Lyndsie Fox, recently published by Juxtapoz Magazine...
Lyndsie Fox: A huge focus of your process and intention is in repurposing objects, giving them new life and meaning, making common everyday objects unique, precious, humorous, controversial. Can you speak to the psychology behind this, and how it might relate to contemporary consumerism?
MC Marquis: I truly believe that we cannot base happiness on things we buy. Because once we have it, we'll want something else, and it never ends. Don't get me wrong, buying stuff is fun. I like to be comfortable, I'm ecstatic when I find an amazing $8 dress in my thrift hunts, and I don't preach a minimalist lifestyle, though I really admire people who are able to achieve that. But I really think that it is the time you spend with who is important to you that matters the most. The things you experience, the people you meet, the souvenirs you create; these are what’s good for your soul. So only working with second-hand objects helps me to feel like I am not entirely giving in to the consumer cycle.
There’s always an undercurrent of environmental and consumerist awareness when creating work from existing found objects rather than fabricating brand new objects. Do you ever consider your “creative carbon footprint,” so to speak, as you create? Is environmental awareness something you hope viewers will actively take away from the work?
Totally, this message is really important to me. Again, I firmly believe that we cannot base our happiness on new things we can acquire. So, without being admonitory, I absolutely want my viewers to take away the value of reusing and buying second-hand. I also try to show that old objects are beautiful – they have a soul and a story.
Your last solo show focused a lot on honesty, candor, and self-awareness. It encouraged viewers to participate in the search for truth and meaning – a slow, deliberate process in a contemporary society over-saturated with social media and internalized fragility. Are you continuing these themes in your new We’re All Kinda Fucked Up exhibition?
Yes, a lot of themes from my last solo show will continue in this new one. Communicating, putting our feelings into words, and being honest with our emotions are values at the core of all my work. Ever since my early work in painting, I’ve focused on the idea of putting forward honestly what we all live, without realizing it, so that we feel less alone.
The name of the show itself speaks to the fragility of human nature, especially in our digital age. What is the overall message of We’re All Kinda Fucked Up, and how do you hope viewers will interact with it?
We’re All Kinda Fucked Up means that we are quite contradictory: On the one hand, we think that we are the norm because what is normal for us is the life that we live that evolved from the same way of life before, and so on. So sometimes, we have trouble understanding people who come from another sphere or place. But on the other hand, we also think that we are incredibly special and that we’ve gone through unique, difficult shit that other people won’t get. So often, we don't understand people who don't understand us anyway. But what is important is that in the end, we are all kinda weird, kinda fucked up. No one is perfect, everyone has problems and a story. We all want to love, to be loved, and to have a goal. This title is also linked to the sad state of our planet, and the helplessness and anxiety that we feel facing this uncertain future.
Click HERE to read the full interview on Juxtapoz!