Maureen Wingrove
Feminist Illustrator and Writer, Paris
Maureen is concerned with what she calls “the obvious lack of feminism everywhere.” She hopes to use her work as a springboard to confront and make light of this issue. She draws and writes every day, and music—specifically big, commercial pop—helps fuel her creative process. Maureen is currently working on her 6th comic book. Set in the 1920s, it will be the story of a woman and her loves.
Your idea of happiness?
(Boring alert) A good book—diary or autobiography are usually requested. My lover, greasy food, sunny weather/cold winter and a beautiful view. Classic, a bit goofy but that's my paradise. A cat can be added for more fluffiness.
Your idea of misery?
The lack of creativity and poetry.
If not yourself, who would you be?
I would love to think I could have been a man, and imagine how things would be. Don't think they'd be so different actually...
Your heroes?
Anaïs Nin, Lou Andreas-Salomé and my great-grandmother, Louise Bohl, an early and colorful feminist.
What is your present state of mind?
Too many corny and idealistic thoughts in my head right now. In my defense, I'm an artist. I'm supposed to be too much of a dreamer, right?
Bedside table books?
Écrire la vie by Annie Ernaux: a condensed edition of all her autobiographic publications, in which she added some pieces of her diary, and some photos from her past. It's one of the most significant readings I've ever had.
What do you do if you can’t sleep at night?
I listen to the radio. I love listening to strangers' confessions in the middle of the night.
Do you collect anything?
Do shoes count? Otherwise, I kind of collect 1920s written postcards and family photo books. (Obsessed with others’ lives? Me?)
What is the strangest thing you believed in as a child?
That the tooth fairy (in France it's a mouse) could bring me a CD player by herself.
Or that if I broke my TV watching Cinderella, I could grab Cinderella's fairy godmother’s magic wand.
Favorite color?
Pink, in all its shades. Desperately un-feminist, but the only childish behavior I can't fight.
Favorite city?
London. Can't explain what I feel about this city; I think it's called love.
What are your plans for this weekend?
Reading and drawing with my lover, wearing pajama shorts.
Favorite song?
"Paradise (Not for Me),” by Madonna. Can't explain why I’ve loved it so much since I was 13.
Right or left-handed?
Right.
What is the best dish you can cook?
I'm a terrible cook. I hate cooking, above all. I'd rather take my friends to a good restaurant than touching any oven or any kitchenware.
What is your middle name?
Marie.
What do you do in your free time?
Playing ukulele, going to a movie or an exhibition, shopping, taking a walk, traveling... and drawing, even if it's my job. I can't get tired of it.