Marine Neuilly photographs as if the world were already too visible. Her book Let’s Take Pics We Can Never Post behaves like a secret that insists on staying secret — a soft sabotage of circulation. The Polaroids feel lived-in, un-optimized, full of air; they guard the temperature of a moment instead of trading it for proof.

Marine treats images like seeds, not signals: what matters is not the click but the afterlife — how a picture dissolves into other people’s memory and myth. “Once you share a photo, it’s not really yours anymore,” she says, “it becomes part of other people’s memories and emotions.” This conversation moves inside that refusal: the joy of keeping something unshown, the punk of being unpolished, and the tender bravery of making images that never have to perform.

These perspectives highlight an ongoing exploration of authenticity and vulnerability, challenging the curated perfection often displayed online. Marine’s approach emphasizes the value of rawness and individuality, inviting others to embrace their genuine selves without the filter of social expectations.

DUYGU “Let’s Take Pics We Can Never Post” is almost a manifesto against performative visibility. What was the first spark —the exact moment or tension— that made you decide this needed to become a book?

MARINE I started taking Polaroids of my friends about ten years ago to promote a lingerie brand I created at the very beginning of Instagram. Back then, the algorithm felt more organic. I would gain lots of followers and attract people who were genuinely interested in the vision of the women I portrayed. However, many of the photos ended up being censored which only reinforced the story I wanted to tell about intimacy and women’s bodies.

I had the chance to publish a few books of my Polaroids with the French independent bookstore Ofr. Over time, it started to feel relevant again to bring back this “manifesto,” as you said — a stance against performative visibility. Social media has changed how and why we do things, so for me, it’s about going back to living in the moment. It’s more about having a punk attitude toward life — being imperfect, beautiful, sexy, smart, and different from what people expect you to be. Instagram is not reality.

DUYGU The book asks viewers to imagine an image culture that resists circulation. What did you discover about your own relationship to image-making and withholding during the process of creating it?

MARINE I’ve always wanted to capture images since I was a child, like catching a butterfly. I was obsessed with filming my parents’ everyday life with an old camcorder, and taking photos with analog cameras to keep memories as time passed. I grew up alongside the rise of all these technologies: the birth of the internet, social media, and blogging.

It was such an exciting time to play around with these new tools and start creating your own visual language. But I feel that today, we have a responsibility for the images we create. It’s like a form of digital pollution. We need to ask ourselves: why is it important for me to share this? It has to mean something. We should be more responsible and patient and remember that good things take time, like publishing a book.

DUYGU If you had to define the book not as an object but as a gesture, what gesture would it be? A refusal, a protection, a provocation, a game?

MARINE It would be an affirmation like this song from my EP called « Je préfère ca ». It means I prefer this, like owning your taste. This is who I am.

“It’s more about having a punk attitude toward life — being imperfect, beautiful, sexy, smart, and different from what people expect you to be. Instagram is not reality.”

-Marine Neuilly

DUYGU Before this project, how would you describe the trajectory of your practice? What remained constant in your work across mediums or periods?

MARINE It’s funny because I realize now that I was always taking pictures in my mind — just as a way to remember things, like visual souvenirs. I always took photos along the way, but without any real purpose. I never thought I could become a “real” image-maker. I was just having fun with my Polaroid camera. I love the spontaneity of the gesture and the surprise of not knowing whether the photo will turn out good or not. It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions when you don’t know what you’re going to get, like opening a surprise Sonny Angel! That’s what photography is to me: a kind of gambling game. Sometimes you lose, but when you win, it’s a piece of art!

“Once you share a photo, it’s not really yours anymore. It becomes part of other people’s memories and emotions.”

-Marine Neuilly

DUYGU Was there a formative experience, mentor or first shock that made you commit to being an artist rather than simply an image-maker?

MARINE My mentor is Andy Warhol. He’s my favorite artist of all time. I feel deeply connected to his vision. I collect all his books, and he actually died the year I was born, in 1987. It might sound strange to say, but I feel a real spiritual connection with him. I like to think that we all have a mission on Earth, and that among artists, we have to keep passing the torch. It’s not about comparing yourself, but about understanding the artist who came before you and continuing to tell the story in your own way. Passer le flambeau.

DUYGU Your work often deals with the social life of images — the way they circulate, mutate, get weaponized. What draws you to life after the shutter is clicked rather than the moment of capture itself?

MARINE Once you share a photo, it’s not really yours anymore. It becomes part of other people’s memories and emotions. For me, the life of an image continues far beyond the moment I press the shutter. The capture is instinctive, almost like breathing but what happens after is what makes it alive. That’s where the real story begins. Of course, I could tell you about the context of each photo taken, my personal vision but I don’t think it really matters. I like the idea everyone can understand it differently. It’s an open conversation.

DUYGU Which non-visual fields feed your thinking the most when you work?

MARINE I am currently reading Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act: A Way of Being which I find very inspiring. But what inspires me the most is music! This is my first love since high school. I used to play guitar in an all-female rock band, and now I’ve evolved as a DJ. I collect vinyl records, which also explains why I love Polaroids, it’s like I’m creating an album cover every time I take a photo!

DUYGU How did Thomas Lelu’s presence change the project? Was he a friction, a mirror, a co-plotter, a counter-voice?

MARINE I’m so glad Thomas was part of this collaboration because he brought a real sense of balance to the project. The photos explore women’s intimacy through a girl gaze, and it felt important to have a man join the conversation, to add a touch of joy and humour, and to make it feel more universal. The first feedbacks was unanimous: while there’s definitely a feminist message behind it, it’s also about togetherness and friendship.

DUYGU Collaboration on a book about un-postable images is paradoxical — how did you negotiate authorship, ego, and the “right not to show” between two brains instead of one?

MARINE I’m lucky my friends are cool, so I kindly asked for their approval. And then, we selected the photos together. Thomas pointed out the fact it was a cool girls club more than naked pictures. We wanted to have portraits of the girls mixed with photos we could not post but it was important to find the right rhythm!

DUYGU Do you think you are brave when it comes to life?

MARINE Every woman is brave by definition.

DUYGU What does creativity mean to you?

MARINE It’s a language of its own. Some people need it to express their feelings, and thankfully, it’s given us some of the greatest art to live by.

FROM BASED ISTANBUL N45 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: BRAVE MONOLOGUES

Buy your copy now!

Images In Courtesy of Marine Neuilly
Interview by Duygu Bengi

Arts & Culture