The Language of Matter: Shaping Abstraction with Marie Guerrier

This multidisciplinary approach allows Marie Guerrier to explore the softer and malleable sides of her creative whims, using her great-grandfather’s heirloom printing press to produce monotypes, all the while forging and yielding hard materials to her will.

Granting just as much importance to vacuity as she does to the forms she creates, she harnesses the emptiness and gives “shape to abstract feelings in a tangible way.”

You grew up in a family of artists. What impact did this have on your own artistic career?

My father is a sculptor, my mother is a dancer, and my paternal grandparents were painters and ceramists. My great-grandfather, who won the Prix de Rome at Villa Medici in 1924, was also a painter and engraver. And my older sister is also a visual artist. With six artists before me spanning four generations, art has always been part of my daily life, naturally influencing my choice to follow the same creative vocation.

Like my father, I chose metal sculpture, attracted by its energy and endless possibilities. Ten years ago, I also inherited my great-grandfather's etching press and developed a particular interest in monotypes on paper, using hand-pressed inking and printing processes. Each artist in my family inspires me with his or her own world and technique. This mutual influence, visible in the current work of my father, my sister and myself, was already perceptible during my ancestors' lifetime. 

In 2023, art critic Anne-Laure Peressin wrote that there is “a Guerrier vocabulary, a Guerrier spirit, a Guerrier savoir-faire”. 

What emotions or messages would you like to convey to the audience?

Above all, I want my work to provide a sense of satisfaction and calm. I believe that the harmony between shapes and materials, and between solids and voids, resonates with an inner balance we all seek. By using a vocabulary of seemingly simple forms, I invite my viewers to pay close attention to the material from which the work is made. 

I like to arouse their curiosity by encouraging them to question the techniques I employ. It gives me a real sense of satisfaction to create a well-balanced work that is visually stimulating and resonates with others, making them want to reach out and touch it. 

What does sculpture mean to you?

The act of creating is essential to me. It's my way of expressing ideas and giving shape to abstract feelings in a tangible way. Sculpture, in particular, represents a challenge for me: that of listening to the material and shaping it as I wish, because each material has its own properties and its own specific language. 

Whether on paper or on a large 3-D scale, abstraction plays an important part in your work. What synergy do you seek to create between your different techniques?

Whether in metal or on paper, my artistic universe is highly graphic, geometric, and playful. I draw inspiration from natural forms, exploring the infinitely small as well as the infinitely large. I then play with these abstract figures by manipulating, multiplying and recomposing them. My work often evokes the cosmos, the mineral world and the forms and symbols found in our writing systems. 

I try to avoid routine by constantly diversifying my activities. To this day, I explore different materials such as metal, wood, concrete, ceramics, glass, textile thread, paper, wax and even soap. Working independently requires a great deal of experimentation before achieving a satisfactory result. I enjoy these phases of trial and discovery, sometimes requiring making custom tools to achieve my desired results.

Who and/what are your artistic influences and inspirations?

Modern architecture, the Bauhaus School, art deco design and Swiss typography all influence my creative process. My sources of inspiration are manifold, with the beauty of nature taking pride of place. However, it's usually the material itself that guides me. Exploring different media and techniques opens up a whole new world of possibilities and gives rise to unpredictable ideas. 

What's a day like in Marie Guerrier's studio?

Each day is unique, I’m constantly researching. I collect resources, images, scientific data or concepts, which I jot down in a notebook alongside spontaneous sketches and annotations until concrete forms and narratives emerge. 

After several quick sketches to refine an idea, I produce a technical drawing, often with the help of digital software, to check the feasibility and define the production stages. Finally, I move on to workshop production, where I always leave room for improvisation. 

What is your relationship with your “totem” sculptures?

For several years now, I've been building vertical sculptures: “totems” that I compare to modern columns. Unlike these ancient architectural elements used as pillars to support sacred buildings, my totems seek to integrate harmoniously into their environment, structuring it without compartmentalizing it. 

From small sculptures such as the 25 cm-high “Dominos” totems, to the 2.10 meters tall “Les Éclairs Bleus” duo, I appreciate the works that combine wire metal with cylinder-cast concrete. For me, they create a link between earth and sky, while suggesting the paradoxical idea of movement despite material immobility.