Bianca Bondi Bloom series, 2018, in Diet & Psychology (solo show), Les Limbes, Saint Etienne © Marie-Odile Falais

This week, Artsper had the pleasure of meeting art collector Marie-Odile, widely known by her Instagram handle, @imagine-moi. Marie-Odile spoke to us candidly about her many creative passions, including her fascination for NFTs, how the art market is being shaped by female artists... and much more. Get to know this unique art world personality with Artsper today!

1.Hello Marie-Odile! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your journey on social media?

I'm Marie-Odile, I'm Franco-Brazilian and I studied Art History at the Sorbonne in Paris for my Bachelor's and Master's degrees. I was very happy to focus my two years of Master's research on Brazil in order to immerse myself academically in one of my own cultures, as I have always been at school in France. Following some professional experience in the art world, namely in a gallery, I decided to work as a freelancer in strategy and content creation for social networks.

On my Instagram account, I share my visits to exhibitions, museums, cultural events, but also my thoughts, and encourage people to do the same - whether you are a newcomer or a seasoned lover of art and its history. I like when people want to get interested. I offer content in French and English, because I believe that my generation consumes a lot of diverse cultural pieces of content in VO with subtitles, but content like this is limited. I'd like to think that maybe people on the other side of the world can also be interested in what I do!

2. You have co-written a catalog about women artists to follow in the NFT space. Could you tell us more about this?

It's a free catalog that includes statistics and texts on equality in the Web3, a brief history of NFTs, texts to learn what NFTs are, a guide on how to buy them, tips from collectors and 5 artist curations proposed by Annelise Stern, Jessy Jeanne, Joséphine Louise, Léa Duhem and myself. It is free, non-exhaustive and this project will be repeated to propose different curations. It is available here. It is a first-step to highlight the work of artists from different perspectives.

3. Who are your favorite contemporary artists and why?

I don't have 2 or 3 favorite contemporary artists in particular at any given time, but at the moment I am particularly a fan of the work of: 

Bianca Bondi: I love her method, she has created her own artistic universe which exists endlessly. I find her work extremely accomplished in the approach, her interest in ecology and the esoteric takes shape at different scales, especially in the alteration of objects by chemistry. The form gives voice to the substance and vice versa.

Sara Sadik: I admire her exploration without condescension and with poetry of what she calls the "beurcore", the masculinities, the forms and media of communication of our generations and the youngest. Especially since her art is exported and participates in an international representation of the French art scene.

Zanele Muholi: I first saw her work in 2018 at Paris Photo Fair. Her powerful photography with sharp contrasts bowled me over and I have a deep admiration for her artivist work.

If I had to name a superstar, I would say Jean-Michel Basquiat for everything he expresses through his art, the way he was perceived or considered and for the mix of registers, references, inscription, paint and medium.

And if I had to add an NFT artist, I would say Marissa Noana for the way she is inspired by Brazilian nature, and when it comes to imagining guerrilla tactics to occupy space and make her voice heard.

Left to right: "Bulle Derouette" from Marie-Odile's personal collection; an image of Sara Sadik which featured at the Lyon Biennale © Marie-Odile Falais

4. You recently bought a piece of art on Artsper. Which one did you choose and how did it fit in your apartment? 

I chose the work Boogie down by Shepard Fairey (Obey). In addition to being an American street artistsince the '80s, he is the creator of the HOPE poster of Barack Obama.

Unfortunately, the work has not yet found its place, as I am still thinking about the layout of my collection wall. It's a way of presenting the works in a cloud where the works answer each other. Much to the displeasure of my dearest Sandro, who thinks that I take too long to unpack the acquisitions...

5. You're accustomed to visiting exhibitions, what was the most striking exhibition of 2022 for you? 

The exhibition that made the biggest impression on me in 2022 was “Habibi, the revolutions of love" at the Institut du Monde Arabe. And I am happy that it has been extended until March 19!

Not only is the exhibition relevant without ever implying that it is an issue specific to the Arab world, but it is also a subject that concerns us all! Moreover, labels translated into Arabic seemed to be very coherent to me.

6. You're a big fan of NFTs. Could you tell us more about this passion? 

I became interested in Web3 in early 2021, with the first articles coming out about the sale of an NFT by Nyan Cat, and then Christie's historic sale of Everyday: the first 5,000 days by the artist Beeple. I wanted to understand them, and Brian Beccafico, now an NFT specialist at Sotheby's, helped me. I created my wallet and started collecting, looking for and connecting with artists, other curious people and collectors like me. Contrary to what some may think, though NFT technology is a tool for digital artists, artists who create with computers, graphics tablets and AI existed before blockchain. With NFTs I can collect digital art, videos, photos, GIFs. There is something for every portfolio, there is no barrier other than setting up your wallet and buying some crypto.

Left to right: Marie-Odile at a Yayoi Kusama exhibition; Badiucao showcase at DOX Prague © Marie-Odile Falais 

7. How do you see the future evolution of the NFT market and digital art in general? In your opinion, do women artists have a big enough place in digital art?

With blockchain, I can choose a marketplace accordingly. Information is accessible, readable. I can see who bought what for how much, I can see the history of a work. It's an uncommon level of transparency, where information is accessible to everyone. Speculation is not my leitmotif, but I am thinking about buying double or triple, because we don't know what it will be in 5 years and I don't want to let down definitively a work I love just for profit. In my opinion, it is also a piece of history, and I am interested in keeping it. If in 10 years the Internet doesn't exist anymore, I'll have other things to think about rather than my portfolios!

With Jessy Jeanne and Annelise, we met through Instagram in 2020. The following year, we were excited and curious to learn together what Web3 is, NFTs, and how an artist like Jessy would use this technology. We had noticed that women were not very active in the events we went to and in the talks we attended. We realized that we needed to make a place for ourselves, to speak out so as not to replicate what already existed in the traditional art market. Web3 and the crypto universe is more easily linked to the "crypto bros". Jessy and Annelise created Gxrls Revolution, which explains Web3 to new people, creates a network, sets up exhibitions, and participates in projects, panels, and curations in order to teach individuals to buy and speak about art with genuine expertise in a few years. Now is the time for women to get involved. 

8. If you could have dinner with an art figure (dead or alive), who would you choose and why? 

I think I would learn a lot from Peggy Guggenheim's flair. During her lifetime she was surrounded by the big names in modern art, she bought them, collected them, and exhibited them in her own gallery. She saved artists during World War II by bringing them to the United States with false papers and financing their passage. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice opened during her lifetime. I think it's pretty crazy this life of art-adventures she had.