(^86) | APRIL 2016
ACCORDING TO MRZYK & MORICEAU, AND CONTRARY
to what many people say, everything is black and white.
Positive and negative, darkness and light: these are the
oppositions Mrzyk & Moriceau negotiate to make images.
The ability to distill gut feelings and visceral reactions down
to the purest graphic expression is what makes some artists
good, and others superb. It’s what makes Mrzyk & Moriceau
unforgettable. Jean-François took some time to speak
with me on behalf of this sublime duo, and things got real
personal, real fast.
Kristin Farr: When you and Petra make love to the walls,
what kind of lovers are you?
Mrzyk & Moriceau: It depends on the walls, but sweeter is
better. I will send you some private pictures.
Do your drawings ever get so sexy that you have to take a
break and make out?
You mean, do I ever have an erection while I’m drawing? No,
never! Neither has Petra... or she never told me!
What kind of juxtapositions attract you most?
Maybe salty/sweet food (sucré-salé).
Are there distinct things that you and Petra each contribute
to the work, or are you really melded into one artist?
In the first years, things were really distinct. Petra used
to draw ponies and I used to draw tits, and with time, we
began to mix our drawings. The ponies became very sexy
and monstrous. Now it’s hard to distinguish which one of us
drew which drawing because our styles have fused and we
can’t help retouching each other’s drawings.
How did you meet and begin collaborating?
Petra and I met at school in Quimper, a cool, small art
school in the west of France. First we were a couple,
and then at the end of art school, we started drawing
together. We didn’t really “decide.” It was just completely
natural to make things together. We started with drawing
because we were poor. We had no money to buy stuff to
make paintings or sculptures. A pen and some paper was
enough to create and we never stopped. Our collaboration
also worked because we both admired the same artists:
Markus Raetz, Roland Topor, Eva Hesse, Fabrice Hyber,
Tony Cragg and Glen Baxter.
All images
courtesy the artists,
Ratio 3 and Vans.
above
Still from video for
Breakbot “By Your Side”
Animation
2012
opposite
Untitled
Ink on paper
11 x 8”
2015
tuis.
(Tuis.)
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