Miss Tic, known for her sexy and poetic stenciled silhouettes of brown women on the walls of the capital, died on Sunday, May 22, in Paris, according to her Instagram account. She never stopped leaving her mark on walls, dilapidated facades, under a lamppost, a dead end, or a poorly lit sidewalk. "She fought the disease with such bravery. So many memories return, so many shared moments since the early 1980s... So much sorrow "On Instagram, stencil artist Jef Aérosol responded.
The artist, visual artist, and poet grew up in Paris between Château-Rouge and Sacré-Coeur, then spent her adolescence in the housing estates of Orly. The young lady performed street theater with the company Zéro de conduite. She spent two years in exile in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1980, immersed in the punk scene. She discovered the experimental video, American society's violence, money, and dope: she admits to having had some bad experiences there.
Following a heartbreak, she returned to Paris and met the artists of the Ripolin and Vive la peinture bands, who went out into the streets, hijacked posters, and painted fences. Miss Tic is a fan of comic books and rock music, and she chose the stencil technique because it is simple. She made her debut in 1985. She drew a portrait of herself on cardboard from a photograph. She cut out the illuminated areas with a cutter. She hung the openwork cardboard on a wall in the 14th arrondissement, painted it, and then removed it. The first portrait of her is on the wall in black and white: a wise and slender young girl with her hands on her knees. Next to the image, is a statement: "I hung wall art to cover words with hearts.
Miss Tic discovered her autograph in an old Scrooge album. It's the name of the small witch obsessed with stealing Scrooge's favorite penny." She is drawn to anything shiny, and her hunt never ends. Miss Tick is the name of the witch. She prefers to write it without a k, like a surprising tic. That's what happens when you come across her stencils in the street and then move on. The police were enraged by the increase in taggers in the 1990s. She once printed a drawing titled "Egérie et j'ai pleuré" on a Marais wall. In 1997, the owner filed a complaint, and she was arrested. Miss.Tic is sentenced on appeal to pay the plaintiff 22,000 francs. She wants to keep working but refuses to be labeled a delinquent.
She negotiated with the town hall, shopkeepers, and residents in the 20th arrondissement to print fifty stencils for a series called Muses and Men: the drawings copied fragments of paintings by famous painters. She also spoke with shopkeepers in the 5th arrondissement, who agreed. The same thing occurred in Butte-aux-Cailles.
Louis Vuitton approached her and asked for a stencil for an invitation card. Comme des garçons publish a retrospective newspaper, and designer Kenzo creates a T-shirt. Paul Personne films a video near his workplace. Huge paintings in his studio are photographs of his alleyways, garage doors, and graffitied shopkeepers' curtains. Miss.Tic makes a living by immobilizing her works, which are destined to be ephemeral.
On International Women's Rights Day, March 8, 2011, the French Post Office issued stamps inspired by Miss.Tic stencils. The city of Montpellier chose her to design its future fifth tramway line in 2013.
Jean Dubreil
