“In her work, Messager activates the many possible meanings of words: to name, to categorize, to appropriate, to lie, to deceive, to flatter, to exaggerate. For Messager, the slightest alteration, even the inversion of two words, can transform the meaning of an entire paragraph. String, fabric, photographs, newspaper clippings, stuffed animals; all are given the same importance in the artist’s work. They are the materials of life, and for the artist, represent the plurality and mutability of the individual. “[In my work] I use the sort or things you might keep around the house- things that are familiar, useful. At the same time they are also always worn, they are never new, they have lived a life. Also all of these household materials, and especially stuffed animals, seem cuddly and nice, yet it takes a simple shadow to transform them into something disturbing. For me it’s everyday objects that are the most troubling and strange, not supernatural things.” In Messager’s oeuvre, materials are simply a means to an end.” (credit)