Marguerite Humeau
Photo: Tim Craig for Avant Arte
Our podcast host Ben Luke talks to the artist Marguerite Humeau about her influences—from writers to film-makers, musicians and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work.
Marguerite Humeau's The History of Old Kent Road (Post-Kossowski) Fragments I–V
Courtesy the artist and White Cube
Humeau was born in 1986 in the French city of Cholet, near Nantes, and lives in London. She creates extraordinary sculptural environments in which the scientific and the speculative are fused. Acknowledging the perilous present state of the planet and the future of humanity while exploring histories of life on earth across millennia, Humeau draws on mainstream and fringe scientific theory, science fiction and various cultural phenomena, to create dramatic tableaux that are hugely distinctive in their visual language and subject matter. She asks fundamental questions about the world we inhabit and the meaning of human existence.
Marguerite Humeau's The Guardian of Termitomyces (2023)
Courtesy the artist and White Cube
In this podcast, Humeau discusses her early love of the painting of Marlene Dumas, her awe at the work of Pierre Huyghe and how Nina Simone is an ongoing role model. She also reflects on her fascination with Leonora Carrington and the musicians Angel Bat Dawid and Bendik Giske. Plus, she gives insight into her studio life and answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: “What is art for?”
Marguerite Humeau's The Guardian of Ancient Yeast
Courtesy the artist and White Cube
• Marguerite Humeau: meys, White Cube Bermondsey, London, until 14 May
• Orisons, Black Cube, San Luis Valley, Colorado, 24 June 2023-June 2025
Series 15 of A brush with… runs from 29 March-19 April, with episodes released on Wednesdays. You can download and subscribe to the podcast here
This podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app.
The free app offers access to a vast range of international cultural organisations through a single download, with new guides being added regularly. Recent additions include Descanso Gardens, a botanical oasis near Los Angeles, to Centro León, a Modern and contemporary art space in the Dominican Republic. Marguerite Humeau has shown in numerous museums and galleries with guides on Bloomberg Connects, including the Hayward Gallery, Serpentine and Tate in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Download Bloomberg Connects and you will see that the guide to MoMA has a variety of content relating to its permanent collection and exhibitions. For instance, you can link directly from the app to the Signals Channel, a treasure trove of video art that is part of the museum’s landmark spring 2023 show Signals: How Video Transformed the World. You can also hear in-depth audio discussing works in MoMA’s Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition.