Artist Marguerite Humeau: To Be Alive is a Great Responsibility | Louisiana Channel

“What does it mean to exist?” We visited French artist Marguerite Humeau in her London studio, whose interest and curiosity span many fields and disciplines.

“I don’t see my artworks as artworks. I see them as real-life forms. They have a voice. They have a pulse. They have a heartbeat. They have a rhythm. They are very much alive.”

”When I was 25, I had an accident. So, I went through what you would call a near-death experience. And to me, that's the beginning of everything because it really made me think. When you come close to death, it makes you reflect on what it means to live.”

“What does it mean to exist physically? What does it mean to exist spiritually? Can you exist without a physical body? What happens after you die? What will survive you? What are all the things that compose the human existence?”

“We are interconnected with a great web of life; whatever we do, it's like being a spider in a spider web. Whenever we move, many other things move around us as a result of us, of our own movement. So, there is a great responsibility that comes with just the idea of existing in the world.”

Marguerite Humeau (b. 1986, Cholet, France) lives and works in London. She received her MA from the Royal College of Art, London, in 2011. Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at Lafayette Anticipations, Paris (2021); Kunstverein Hamburg (2019); Museion, Bolzano (2019); New Museum, New York (2018); Tate Britain, London (2017); Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich (2017); Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin (2017); Nottingham Contemporary (2016); and Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2016).

Humeau’s work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including Hayward Gallery, London (2024); Venice Biennale: “The Milk of Dreams” (2022); 23rd Biennale of Sydney (2022); Kunsthalle Basel (2021); the Istanbul Biennial (2019); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2019); MAMVP, Paris (2019); the High Line, New York (2017); Château de Versailles, France (2017); Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2017); FRAC Midi- Pyrénées, Toulouse, France (2017); Serpentine Galleries, London (2014); and Victoria and Albert Museum, Sculpture Gallery, London (2014).

In 2023, Humeau inaugurated a 160-acre earthwork, "Orisons,” in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, curated and produced by the Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum. Humeau’s work was included in the 15th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud in 2024. She is represented by White Cube and CLEARING New York/Los Angeles.

Marguerite Humeau was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner in her studio in London in October 2023.

Camera: Anthony Jarman
Edited by: Signe Boe Pedersen
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2024

Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, and C.L. Davids Fond og Samling.

Cover photo: "Orisons” by Marguerite Humeau, 2023, curated and produced by Black Cube, A Nomadic Art Museum. Photography by Julia Andréone and Florine Bonaventure. Images are courtesy of the artist and Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum.

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