It's pretty much intoxicating these days to stumble upon someone like Marie Vic, who, though unconcerned with her own importance, contains the presence of a hybrid Woody Allen-Jean Luc Godard ingenue. She's as comfortable and captivating in Comme Des Garçons-esque version of a diaper pant as she is in her own DIY diaper that she roller skates in from the back of a car around Cuba. Comfort may be her raison d'etre for dressing (Marie is passionate about the utilitarian aspect of garments), but in life she's obsessed with exploring the atypical and bizarre.
Marie is an artist whose life lives in her art. Thriving on reactions, Marie puts herself in situations that would induce a panic attack for most of us. The absurd, the playful, the out-of-context (like popcorn "exhibits" on the city street and rolling on the floor of the Guggenheim amongst passers by) are just some of the ways in which she communicates the odd juxtapositions in her brain. Thoughts -- such as craving to be an adult when she was a kid because grown ups have a life and then looking forward to being old because she'll be past the stress of aging -- roll off her tongue like "I am hungry" does for most others. Marie admits to despising the ugly plastic "Made in China" objects that surround her, yet she's undeniably attracted to repurposing their graphic appeal for use in her sculptural and photographic essays.
The ex-Parisian, present New Yorker is adamant that she's not a rebel. But Marie dissents. She may not try to have an influence on anyone, but she does. No matter the trendy tides that storm around her curated universe, she's a distinctive force, flanked by her stunning white hair and a rainbow of thrifty trench coats that she wears while riding her bike around town in order to experience life in motion. Unmoveable in her vision, Marie is attracted to character, regardless of the pervasive commercial beauty standards. "I could be attracted to the ugliest people so long as they have their own way, "she proclaims." The masses may misunderstand people like this, but, to the few, they are precious gems. And regarding being misunderstood, Marie doesn't care, since, according to her, what she thinks isn't what matters.
-xo Elisa & Lily
Video Edited by Maximiliano Gaston Longo.
