Collection: Marie-Pierre Ranger

Marie-Pierre Ranger’s work is an investigation of beauty using recycled materials and natural plant fibers. She sculpts in a manner that questions the classical ideal of beauty. By choosing to cast Venus Esquiline, a Roman goddess embodying love and sexuality, Ranger’s process instigates a deeper reflection of her personal definition of beauty and how it creates inner narratives woman have toward their own body.

Ranger’s work not only reflects on the unattainable idealistic Venus but it addresses the passing of time, the evolving definition of beauty. Her foraged plants from the local environment and the discarded materials such as denim are transformed into pulp, paper and fibers. The recycled denim, with its history of resilience and strength, becomes a metaphor for the enduring strength women carry towards the imposed challenges of societal expectations. Each worn and repurposed garment carries the imprints of past narratives, symbolizing the lived experiences that shape our identities. The juxtaposition of local plants and this humble material against the backdrop of idealized Roman goddesses serves as a critique to contemporary beauty standards woman carry. Ranger exposes the transformative power of embracing one's authenticity, rise above societal norms, and reclaiming ownership of our bodies with all of the imperfections that come with maturing. Like our skin, these materials inscribe the organic reality of being a woman. 

Let us degrade; let women be cast in fibers and pastes, not marble and stone. Some days it’s a lot more fun to celebrate womanhood, and other days it’s more difficult to remain positive. Being ephemeral is okay, and so is being fragile. Being stable and forever young isn’t a requisite of contemporary beauty.