Sucking on the night

The work of Alix Marie (France, 1989) mixes photography, sculpture and installation. For her first exhibition in Switzerland, the French artist based in London continues her research on our relationship with the body. Alix Marie explores feminine mysticism through various mythological figures.

Taking over the third floor of MBAL, the artist, inspired by the green room of the museum, has created a space haunted by a feminine presence.  Green, – the colour of the wallpaper in the room – is the colour of the other, of science fiction, fantasy, or of witches’ skin, the artist draws inspiration here from childhood and fairy tales. In this installation, Alix Marie also summons sisterhood; collaborating for the first time on an audio piece with two childhood friends. Continuing her research on myths and gender, Alix Marie focuses here on female figures who are part of childhood: the witch, the godmother and the mermaid – ambiguous figures that can be both good and evil and have inspired superstitions and beliefs that have had a major impact on psychology and the imaginary. Alix Marie’s questioning of gender construction therefore combines autobiographical elements with mythology to offer visitors a unique experience.

A graduate of Central Saint Martin’s College and the Royal College of Art in London, Alix Marie was one of the 20 young artists selected for the FOAM Talent Call in Amsterdam in 2017 and her first monograph dedicated to her work, Bleu, was published by Mörel Books. In 2018, she created two solo exhibitions, Adyta at the Düsseldorf Weekend of Photography, after winning the first prize in the Portfolio Review in 2017, and La Femme Fontaine at Roman Road, London. In 2019, she participated in the European Month of Photography on the theme Bodyfictions. On that occasion Alix Marie produced two new installations shown in Vienna and Luxembourg, and an entire new body of work was presented in her exhibition entitled Shredded at the Roman Road Gallery, London. 

The exhibition received the support of the Fondation Philantropique Famille Sandoz and the Fondation Bonhôte pour l’art contemporain. The sound piece was realised in collaboration with Nina Boukhrief and Sarah Perez. An interview with the artist by Joël Vacheron is published in the MBAL’s “Could you talk about…” booklet series.