Marguerite Humeau
born in 1986 in Cholet, France; lives in London, United Kingdom
Riddles, 2018
Wallpaper, recurring pattern, digitally edited
Commission evn collection 2018
First shown at Wallpaper #1, 2018 in Maria Enzersdorf, Austria
Inv. No. WP_05
In 2017 Marguerite Humeau was invited for an outdoor project in the gardens of Versailles for which she created the project RIDDLES – Sphinx Otto Has Absorbed Humankind. Sphinx Otto is an over-dimensional sculpture made of white plastic. This figure is situated in a spot not far from the famous,17th century Triumphal Arch Grove by André le Nôtre. The artist is on the trail of multiple cosmological references and processes and combines them with a contemporary approach. For her project, she develops narratives and fantastic contexts. In the Versailles project, Humeau sees the Sphinx as a kind of earth protector with decision-making power between life and death. It asks people questions and poses riddles. Poisonous plants surrounding the Sphinx, among them Cornus Sanguinea, Cornus alba Sibirica, Salix Alba Chermesina, Hamamelis, and Sedum, in turn protect the Sphinx herself. For the wallpaper in the evn collection, Marguerite Humeau chose the fibers of the blood dogwood (Cornus Sanguinea). These plants become an impenetrable mesh in the pattern, which, in turn, also raise the question of one’s own point of view.