At the intersection of body horror, high glam, surrealist erotica and cutting edge club lies the world of Virgen Maria. As the enigmatic hybrid music, visual and performance art project of Madrid's María Forqué, Virgen Maria is the the artist's dark perverse reimagining of the biblical figure as a sex positive beacon of avant-garde beauty.
Aesthetically, Virgen Maria blends couture, cosplay and fetish with references to hentai, cyberpunk, horror and more, whether that be wrapping herself in long prosthetic tongue, fashioning a bikini out of rubber guns or covering herself in croissants for the hell of it. Like a Xenomorph giving you lap dances or if David LaChapelle and Junji Ito had a lovechild, Forqué deliberately toes the line between sexy and freaky, using her body as a canvas to interrogate notions of censorship, commodification and beauty in her own twisted vision.
Sonically, Virgen Maria is a similar fusion of sex and spirituality, looking to induce a meditative state amid a flurry of raucous club beats and AMSR vocals. Having grown up on a diet of EDM, Forqué's music brings together hardcore, gabber, rave, reggaeton and other latin rhythms soundtracking her sexually charged lyrics delivered with an impish glee. Whether she's seductively whispering, "I dress in Mugler," between alternating chants of "fashion" and "sex" over a churning techno thumper on "FASHION" or coining the term "blex" as shorthand for "bless our sex," Virgen Maria finds ways to package the carnal hedonism of club culture for mass markets.
If sex sells, Virgen Maria is an apostle spreading her gospel of unfettered lust and trans-humanist decadence. Having been tapped by brands Fenty, Gucci, Vetements and Camper, as well as having collaborated with producers such as Flume, Jimmy Edgar and Safety Trance this year alone, Virgen Maria's marriage of God and sex is very much in demand. Below, PAPER caught up with Virgen Maria to clear up any misconceptions and address the one taboo she would get rid of if she could.
Bodysuit: Wutopia, Shoes: Pleaser, Earrings: Choppy
Who is Virgen Maria?
Virgen Maria is a reinterpretation of Virgin Mary, [who] became famous for being a mother and a virgin. Me, as Virgin Mary, wants to be famous for standing for myself and being a whore.
Taking a look through your Instagram a wide variety of outlandish outfits, what goes into conceptualizing and putting together these looks?
I like looks that are a concept, I like being my own canvas.
Do you have any personal favorites?
My favorite is normally the last one I do.
What are some of you go-to sources of inspiration?
The internet inspires me a lot. Also, performance art, ero guro and fashion. My inner circle inspires me, we are all grown up children living an +18 childish life.
What do think is one of people’s biggest misconceptions about you?
That I’m a bitch.
How do you see you visual work and musical work co-existing? Do they intersect or are they each their own beast?
They are different manifested parts of one same concept.
This year alone you’ve collaborated with the likes of Flume, JIMMY EDGAR and Safety Trance. What has it been like working with all these producers and getting introduced to their various audiences?
It has been organic, so it has been good. Nothing worse than forcing things.
Your work frequently interrogates the line between sensuality and the grotesque. What informs your concept of sexuality and beauty?
I believe that sex is intrinsically linked to violence and naturally I express it that way. Some years ago I discovered ero guro and I found a name for my aesthetic. Ero guro is a Japanese literary and artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s, focusing on eroticism, sexual corruption and decadence.
If you could get rid of one taboo, what would it be?
Sex.
What are you looking to accomplish going forward?
I just want to be in peace.
Art direction, styling and nails: Beatriz Ferrer
VFX: Luca Mastroianni
Photography: Gonzalo de León
Makeup: Coleoptera
Hair: Rubén Mármol