Published by Nelson Roberge
MissMe is an artist who displays her art on the street. You may have contemplated her works on some walls of Montreal, Miami, New York, Paris and Geneva. The artist, born in Switzerland to doctor parents, also lived in France for 12 years before Montreal became her last destination. Despite her family being completely immersed in science and economics, MissMe has always been drawn to the arts. She tried dancing, singing jazz, plunged in the literature and was even part of a circus. Turn of the track happened slowly as she always had the heart of an artist.
Baron: What trigger you to decided to start posting your art on the walls of the city?
MissMe: I was a creative director for an advertising agency . I had enough of the advertising world. I was fed up being told what to do.
B.: How do you organize your trip when you go to display your work?
M.: It’s complicated. I have to print everything before travel because it is very expensive elsewhere. That’s a lot of preparation with all the stuff I have to carry. Then, on the spot, you have to prepare your glue. In my case, I always need someone with me. I need a look -out. In some cities, I also need some good samaritans who can take me to places conducive to my art. I got caught once by the Montreal police. They made me wait three quarters of an hour in the snow by not being very friendly. They finally let me go. I was very accommodating, I did not show attitude. I am aware of what I am doing. I know it is not legal so I did not behave like a teenager.
B.: Would you tell me about some of your works?
M.: I can tell you about three projects that I have done.
-Jazz – Saints
I reproduced the face of some jazz greats such as Gershwin, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis and Billie Holiday. This is their face in a style of orthodox icons. In addition, most jazz artists are black. It is not usual see black saints. And I put them in the street, as if they were spirits. There is something very classic to it. These are magical people for me.
– Politically Correct
In this series, there are among others the native-american version of the Statue of Liberty. We forget that history is written by those who won. Even the news that we see are the ways of justifying what is being done. Everything is not black or white. There is always gray in history. I love America, I love the American dream, but let’s be honest, this is a country that was built on the genocide of a people, the theft of their lands and through the slavery of another people. It does not detract from what it has become and the values of today, but it is important to remember because otherwise, we live in the lie and it is a lack of respect for the dead.
-Dessert For Breakfast
This is a project targeted at woman and today’s sexuality. Women, we did not know enough about our sexuality and we dare not to appropriate it without shame and being called a slut. Take only the fact that a girl (80% of my girlfriends) are able to enjoy a man several years before being able to be enjoying herself. For years, I’ve slept with men and if I do not enjoy, it was okay, it was still a success. It has always been a subject to demean women, because a woman who is able to enjoy and control her sexuality is much more difficult to bring down in the society. She earns the trust and knows what she wants. So I made a series of drawings and a blog. I made this blog because I do not have an answer to all this and I think we can find one when we can talk about in an honest manner. We are a few girls who write on this blog and I wish there were more.
B.: What’s coming up for you?
M.: I’m making shirts and posters with some of my designs for sale. Otherwise, for the next works, I cannot talk too much, I am still in the process of thinking about it. There are opinions that I put on the walls, it is not just for the art to look pretty on. I take the time to think about it and when it is there, I start.
MissMe does not usually do exhibitions. Instead take pictures of her works when you find and add #missme … she will be very happy.
www.miss-me-art.com
