Protests, parties, portraits of friends and celebrities… Marie Rouge‘s aesthetic – always very colourful – is imbued with empathy and softness. “This softness could be viewed as a strength when I direct my models”, says the Paris-based artist. For her, photography is just an excuse to approach people. Although discreet, Marie Rouge does not hide her commitments. She campaigns for many causes, including the defence of minorities and gender equality. “We are certainly submerged by all these images, especially on Instagram. But some of them stand out, move people, and make a difference. It’s up to us photographers to pass on our values through our pictures”. Discover the artist behind these powerful portraits – as touching as they are strange.
If you were…
One of your pictures?
The one of Frédéric Pierrot (a French actor playing in the series En Thérapie) with the flowers – a sweet moment.
A dream subject?
A reportage abroad, anywhere, as long as I can flee!
A job?
I would have liked to be a nose. Apart from photography, I love perfume.
An artist?
Rainer Maria Rilke and his Letters to a Young Poet.
A piece of music?
by Mercedes Sosa, which has always moved me.
A historical period?
The Roaring Twenties!
An emotion?
Euphoriaaaa.
A writer and one of his quotes?
“Must snatch joy in the days to come”, by Soviet futurist poet and playwright Vladimir Mayakovsky. It is actually written on my wall.
An exhibition?
Lucian Freud, at the Centre Pompidou. It deeply touched me.
An unusual setting?
A sex club!
An Instagram account?
A secret?
Once, I got to be a photographer on the set of a porn movie (Hunger – Who’s in Charge by Erika Lust).
