Born in 1976 in Villeurbanne, France, Mad Meg has an education in fine bookbinding and studied plastic arts. Subsequently, she frequented the Acad\u00e9mie des Beaux-Arts of Paris for a short study. Additionally, she worked in the ateliers of the city of Paris, learning nude drawing of living models. In 2001, the artist started to draw in small notebooks (approximately 11 cm x 15 cm) with a ballpoint pen and made around 450 pages until now. Over time, she set about greater formats and replaced the pen by a nib pen. This technique is more archaic than the ballpoint pen and enables a precise and incisive execution. Especially the work on large-sized paper generates a contrast between the meticulous drawing and the monumental format. Thus, the contemplator might be attracted by the dimensions, but could plunge into the details and immerse completely in the image.<\/p>\n
Her artist name, is a reference to the painting \u201cDulle Griet<\/a><\/span>\u201d by Pieter Breugel the Elder<\/a><\/span> from 1563, which is also known as \u201cMad Meg\u201d. This allusion is on one hand based on Mad Meg\u2019s feminist position, but also in her predilection to this Dutch artist. Other influencing artists are Gustave Dor\u00e9<\/a><\/span>, Jacques Callot<\/a><\/span> and not surprisingly Hieronymus Bosch<\/a><\/span>. Moreover, she admires various artists using animals as allegory for human beings and she is stimulated by literature. Hence, she also includes these texts in her works. Her sources of inspiration are evident in her oeuvre. She frequently reinterprets masterpieces, for example \u201cThe Garden of Earthly Delights<\/a><\/span>\u201d (Hieronymus Bosch), \u201cThe Arnolfini Wedding<\/a><\/span>\u201d (Jan van Eyck<\/a><\/span>) and self-explanatory the \u201cDulle Griet\u201d. In her versions, she includes autobiographic elements alike social criticism on subjects important to her, like feminism, de-colonialism, environmentalism.<\/p>\n This is even truer for her series of patriarchs. Here Mad Meg points to the toxic forms of masculinity. Already the name of the series refers to this. Apart from the ecclesiastic sense, the meaning of \u201cpatriarch\u201d coming from Greek is the \u201cchief or father of a family\u201d, often an extended family. His government was and sometimes still is autocratic and tolerates no contradiction. Thus, his influence on the concerned society is enormous.<\/p>\n Mad Meg transfers these qualities to prototypes of chosen groups of the society and calls them patriarchs. Herewith she points to the sometimes hidden operating string pullers in politics, in the Church, in economy and in the informal sector. There is a pater familias<\/a><\/span>, an imperialist<\/a><\/span>, a conservative<\/a><\/span>, a pope<\/a><\/span>, an analyst<\/a><\/span>, a conjurer<\/a><\/span> and the \u201cPatriarch n\u00b0 1418 \u2013 The broken Face<\/a><\/span>\u201d, which is our artwork of the month in April 2022. All these architypes of masculine characters have a human body with their accessories to recognize them, but the head of an insect. For the artist, they are not disguised men, but insects trying to pose as a human being. Referring to the notion of \u201cbad faith\u201d (French: mauvaise foi) of the French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre<\/a><\/span>, these patriarchs are not acting authentically. They are playing a role and adept false values. In doing so, they deny themselves and renounce to the freedom, which is inherent to human beings. Consequently, they are deceiving themselves and the society. Since the individuals behind these prototypes mostly have a big influence, they could harm the society. Mad Meg wants to make aware of this. At the same time, she demonstrates that most powerful people are still masculine.<\/p>\n From 2004 on, the artist participated at numerous group shows and personal exhibitions, first in France, later also in Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Moreover, she published several artist books and limited printed editions of her drawings. In 2020, entered her \u201cFeast of Fools<\/a><\/span>\u201d (2008 \u2013 2010) in the collection of the Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts de Nancy<\/a><\/span>, France. With 894 cm x 152 cm, it is the \u2013 until now \u2013 hugest oeuvre. At the same time began her solo exhibition \u201cMargot l\u2019enrag\u00e9e<\/a><\/span>\u201d in the same institution, which lasted until summer 2021. \u201cFeast of Fools\u201d combine two of her described directions in art. On one hand, it gathers thirteen of her patriarchs; on the other hand, it is her interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci<\/a><\/span>\u2019s \u201cLast Supper<\/a><\/span>\u201d. The Galleria Gasparelli<\/a><\/span> exposed Mad Meg together with the sculptor S\u00e9verine Gambier<\/a><\/span> at their location in Fano, Italy in 2021. \u201cDell\u2019 Ornamento\u201d (From Ornament) resulted from a cooperation between the two French artists. \u201cPatriarch n\u00b0 1418 \u2013 The broken Face\u201d illustrates this collaboration. For a cooperation between the Galleria Gasparelli and the Galleria D406<\/a><\/span>, the original exhibition was enlarged. The result was displayed at the Art Verona<\/a><\/span> in October and at The Others Art Fair<\/span><\/a> in Turin one month later. From November 2021 to March 2022, works of both artists were on view at the \u201cMarginalia<\/a><\/span>\u201d in Pavia, Italy. In May 2022, their works will be with the Galleria D406 on the BOOMing Contemporary Art Fair<\/a><\/span> in Bologna. The artist is represented by the Galleria Gasparelli.<\/p>\n Mad Meg lives and works in Paris.<\/p>\n https:\/\/madmeg.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Artwork of the Month \/ April 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n