M/M (Paris) and the Strategic Blurring of Design and Art

Key facts

• M/M (Mathias Augustyniak and Michaël Amzalag) are graphic designers who claim artist status.
• They have collaborated with artists Pierre Huyghe, Philippe Parreno, and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster since the late 1990s.
• Their wall credits for the film 'About' appeared at the 1999 Venice Biennale.
• They designed the catalogue 'Une Histoire matérielle' for the Musée National d'Art Moderne in 1999.
• The catalogue was criticized for poor readability but praised as an artistic work.
• M/M has worked with Yohji Yamamoto and Björk.
• They reuse images across different clients to assert authorship.
• They incorporate ink blots and painterly flaws to contrast with digital media.
• Their work with the Ann Lee character involves posters for Huyghe and Parreno's films.
• Current projects include a Björk video clip and a café-restaurant in Paris.
• The article is written by Catherine de Smet, a design consultant and art historian.
• The article was published in artpress in July 2001.