Marguerite Humeau is intrigued by things that are extinct and in forms that are yet to come. Working with teams of researchers from very diverse disciplines – from palaeontology and behavioural science to engineering, linguistics and many more – her projects mix science, history, myth, animism and bioethics. She has resurrected the sounds of prehistoric creatures and the voice of Cleopatra, and has produced new versions of 150,000-year-old ‘Venus’ figurines, based on research into trance, ecstatic ritual, and animal morphology. Humeau stresses that though scientific facts are important in her sculptures, installations and drawings, speculation and fiction are essential in the creation of ‘strong physical, almost supernatural experiences.’
Marguerite Humeau (born 1986, Cholet, France) lives and works in London. Humeau studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands and the Royal College of Art, London.
Marguerite Humeau, High Tide (detail), 2019 © the artist. Courtesy the artist, C L E A R I N G New York/Brussels. Photo: Eden Krsmanovic