Margaux Derhy was born in France to a French mother and a Moroccan father. She studied at Central Saint Martins (CSM) and later pursued the MA Painting at the Royal College of Art (RCA). She currently lives and works between Paris and Massa, Morocco.
Her artistic work is rooted in family narratives and her Franco-Moroccan heritage, creating a reflection on emotional bonds, transmitted memories, and the empty spaces left by the absent, while exploring the multiple facets of pluridentity.
She develops an experimental practice that combines painting, sewing machine work, and traditional hand embroidery while also
exploring ceramics as a separate discipline.
The collective plays a central role in her approach, through the establishment of a residency and a group of embroiderers in Massa, the foundation of the women artists' collective Le Cercle de l'Art or the writing of the artist guide "Le Backpack de l'Artiste". In each project, there is a deep commitment to fostering artistic exchange and creating opportunities for economic stability.
She attended several residencies including Al Maqam in Marrakech, Morocco (2021), Enamoura in Marseille, France (2020), Studio Kura in Fukuoka, Japan (2018) or Greatmore Studios in Cape Town, South Africa (2017) and is running the Massa Stories residency in Morocco since 2019. She is included in the Soho House Collection and was selected for the Dentons Art Prize 2020.
Her work has been shown in a number of exhibitions. Some of the most recent ones include: Eros Hypnotica" by Artwork in Promess, Paris (2022); Spring Agency show, Paris (2021); AoraIII by Aora Space, London (2021); Rongulaire by Tatiss, Lyon (2020); TwentyTwenty Women by The Artistellar, online (2020); Ddessin Art Fair, Paris (2020); Sunday Art Fair, London (2019) with A.Romy Gallery or Investec Art Fair, Cape Town (2018).
SHOWS
2023 :
Portfolio presentation for Le Cercle de l'Art - Paris
Duo Show at Artybox by curator Achraf Remok - Casablanca (upcoming)
2022 :
Group show "Eros Hypnotica" by Artwork in Promess - Paris
Portfolio presentation for Le Cercle de l'Art - Paris
Sculpture for Le Casino de Paris - Paris
In-situ Fresco for La Noceria - Paris
In-situ painting for Merci Paris Apartement - Paris
2021 :
Group show "If The House Catches Fire" at Chapelle XIV - Paris
RCA graduate show at Cromwell Place - London
Group show by Spring Agency - Paris
Group show "Latence" by Chloé Bonnie More - Paris
Virtual group show "Aora:III" by curator Jennifer Ellis - London
2020 :
Dentons Art Prize shortlisted - London
RCA WIP show at the Royal College of Arts (RCA) - London
Snapshot group show at Hockney Gallery (RCA) - London
A starry exhibition by Artwork in Promess - Paris
Ddessin Paris Art fair invited by Eve de Medeiros - Paris
TwentyTwenty Women by The Artistellar (online) - London
Rongulaire by Galerie Tatiss - Lyon
2019 :
Tate Exchange at Tate Modern, performance on the collective memory subject with Central Saint Martins - London
Group show "Human Manifesto", curated by the Feminist Society at Central Saint Martins - London
Interim show with Central Saint Martins at Apiary Studios - London
Auction "Tresor à la Carte" organized by Watever at Galeries Lafayette Anticipations - Paris
Group show "A Smaller Scale" at Ebony - Cape Town
"En Cas de Pluie" for Atelier Stories with Jeune Création & Réseau Friche - Paris
Group show with Wilo & Grove - Paris
Group show "I live in an art gallery #1" by Atelier Stories - Geneva
Sunday Art Fair, off Frieze with A. Romy - London
Solo Show "Mémoire Vive" with KissmyArt Paris - Paris
2018 :
Embryonica, open studio at Central Saint Martins - London
Superflat Memory, residency show at Studio Kura - Itoshima (Japan)
Group show for AB-Kobo launching with limited embroideries on tee-shirts - Paris
Group show "Memories we might have" by HATSH - Paris
Group show "OPEN STUDIOS - Voyage Voyage" - Paris
Duo Show with Gabriel Folli for Private Place Project - Paris
Group Show "Shelves, Hangers, Desks" à la Galerie Le Coeur - Paris
Group Show "Here and now" at Greatmore Studios - Cape Town
Cape Town Art Fair with Greatmore Studios - Cape Town
2017 :
Solo show "90 Great Days, no More" at Galerie Fatiha Selam - Paris
Residency solo show "90 Great Days, no More" at Greatmore Studios - Cape Town
Group show " Throughlines" at Greatmore Studios - Cape Town
Open Studios at Ateliers Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (ABA) - Paris
Group show at Artwork in Promess - Paris
Group show at Galerie Daniez et de Charette - Paris
Group show "Garder Le Cap" at Galerie Valerie Delaunay - Paris
RESIDENCIES
2022 : Clay Ceramic Residency - Marseille
2021 : Residency Al Maqam - Morocco
2021 : La Source Garouste Iturria - Bayonne
2021 : Residency Enamoura - Marseille
2019, 2020, 2022 : Massa Stories - South Agadir
2018 : Studio Kura - Fukuoka
2017 : Greatmore Studios - Cape Town
2015 : La Ira de Dios - Buenos Aires
PUBLICATIONS
Art et Décoration / Caroline Appert / Trois questions à Margaux Derhy
Les Echos / Charlotte Merlet / Vers un cercle vertueux de l'art
Femmes d’Art / Marie Stéphanie Servos / Femmes d’Art #0, trois questions à Margaux Derhy
Artistik Rezo /Mona Dortindeguey / Le Cercle de l’art, un nouveau modèle
Boum! Bang! / Ariane Serck / La couleur de l'enfance
Quotidien de l’Art / Armelle Malvoisin / Margaux Derhy à Ddessin
Paablo / Grégoire Prangé / What if I can’t remember to remember him ?
Article by Didier Goupil / Mémoire Vive
Revue Profane #5 / Carine Soyer / Une double vie
Littérature Mineure / Marie-Laure Dagoit /Tiny Book "Mémoire Vive"
PODCASTS
Massa Stories / Tara Benveniste / Massa Stories, la résidence
Chamade / Marie Girardin Lépine / Toute ma vie se situe autour du domaine de la peinture
Innover dans le monde de l'art / Lyse de Quillacq / Le Cercle de l'Art
Generation XX / SihamJibril / #48 Margaux Derhy, artiste peintre
PROJECTS
Le Backpack de l'Artiste Author
Les Amis des Artistes Founding Member
Art Thinking Collective Member
EDUCATION
2019-2021 : MA Painting, Royal College of Art (RCA) - London
2018-2019 : Postgraduate Diploma Art & Science (Fine Arts), Central Saint Martins - London
2015-2018 : Cycle Intensif des Ateliers Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (ABA), atelier Gonzalo Belmonte - Paris