2009 Review: Hugo & Marie

Date
7 December 2009

Back in February we interviewed Hugo & Marie (Mario Hugo and Jennifer Sims) for our debut publication, as part of the 2009 Review they share with you their last twelve months.

Hugo & Marie’s image from 2009, “Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery really resonated with us. This particular piece, Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, was a mesmerizing installation. Allowed inside for just a moment but long enough to snap a forbidden photo. It was a sunny day, we were on our bikes doing a quick gallery tour spending a few precious hours away from the studio.”

Mark out of 9 for 2009?

I’d say a 7. Without question the single hardest-working, trickiest year yet. Leisure time was cut severely, and lots of late nights working. Barring these potholes, we’ve had lots of exciting projects, and we’ve had a great time getting to know the artists on the roster. We can’t complain!

Best new discovery?

Reasons to Be Cheerful: The Life and Work of Barney Bubbles, Häagen-Dazs five coffee ice cream, The Fleet Foxes, velvet rope (not what you’re thinking), WNYC’s RadioLab, Yayoi Kusama, and that our buddy Craig Redman is responsible for Darcel (how did we not know this?!). We’re also super pleased to have discovered Merijn Hos and Jules Julien (both have whom have joined the team).

Best idea?

We try not to think in superlatives – sometimes bad ideas go further than what we imagine to be the “best” ideas.

What were you doing this time last year?

Marie: Leading a double life. Hugo: Slaving for The Man, and not much has changed, haha.

What broke? How did you fix it?

Our favorite vintage glass tumbler set. An Italian house guest had a bad dream, swung her left leg and kicked each of these irreplaceable Scandinavian glasses clean off a table. We fixed it by adding a sorry little bar. Thanks for reminding us.

What piece of work really stood out for you?

Siggi Eggertsson’s A Growing Pile of Work video. Loved discovering Honet’s entire portfolio and discovering Jesse Auersalo’s as well! And Cecilia Carlstedt made these absolutely amazing night time scarves for us – we haven’t shown them yet, but we are so excited about them! Also, Deanne’s Cheuk’s poster for Phish, and Micah Lidberg’s patterns never cease to amaze us!

Favourite Book/Album/Film?

Hugo: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, more of a radio podcast guy this year, in which case I’d say The Moth, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Six Feet Under (I know shows weren’t specified). Marie: 12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, also the Moth, Synecdoche NY, and Mad Men. I think both of our movies were from 2008 – I told you we cut leisure time severely!

Did you get Swine Flu?

No, fortunately!

What are you going to miss about 2009 and what are you looking forward to in 2010?

We’ll miss our cramped headquarters (maybe, hopefully) and we’re really looking forward to new and interesting projects and developing some more products with artists for the shop. And riding bikes a bit more too!

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About the Author

Will Hudson

Will founded It’s Nice That in 2007 and is now director of the company. Once one of the main contributors to the site, he has stepped back from writing as the business has expanded to become The HudsonBec Group.

will@thehudsonbecgroup.com

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