Marzia Chenyao is a philosopher and artist whose work investigates symbolic design, relational sovereignty, and the interplay between fatalism and agency. Her lens travels like a passport—stamped with secrets. Memento Amicas is a story of two sisters: one who vanishes, and one who arrives. Told in mirror-image, the series is a look into platonic intimacy at its most cultic, most aspirational, and most destabilizing. Each frame is a tableau vivant—surreal, cinematic, and meticulously composed. Animal masks replace human faces, turning identity into allegory and routine into ritual. With nods to film noir, fashion editorial, and post-structural theory, Chenyao’s work blurs the line between play and politics. From seaside cliffs to dim stairwells, she captures girls mid-transformation—off-duty yet never unobserved. Her stories are whispered through posture, shadow, and a flash of plumage or fur, inviting us into a world just adjacent to our own—one where the terms and conditions of visibility are constantly up for renegotiation. The full stories can be found at The Antisocialite or on Instagram.
Project Description - by Marzia Chenyao about her latest series
“It feels so good to be chosen. Or does it?
Tate Fairbanks is fourteen years old when she and a few boarding-school classmates form Le Cercle des Sœurs, a secret society hidden inside their Swiss finishing school. At its center is Pia Eastlake: charismatic, brilliant, and mercurial. Pia’s attention is everything Tate has ever wanted … until she realizes that whatever Pia gives, she expects in return. With interest. Being near Pia feels like stepping into a dream. Leaving her feels like waking up newly scarred.
Seven years later, out-of-work model Avia Sun arrives in Paris with only one contact. Pia has money, connections, and an irresistibly glamorous group of friends that call each other sisters. When Le Cercle invites her to be one of them, she’s flattered. But in every ritual and rule lurks the memory of Tate, who hasn’t been seen since her departure from Pia’s years ago.”
1. White Cliffsides
At the edge of the world, five girls become one family. Pia steps forward as Tate watches the sea. The circle opens.
2. Suicide Practice
Pia’s father taught her the ritual. Climb, pause, fall … or don’t. She learns to face herself without flinching.
3. Double Meanings
Pia speaks in layered tones: one for the surface, and one for the knowing. Enchanting, before it turned sharp. Now each word carries two blades.
4. Last Look
A final glance, before leaving for good. The circle remains. So does Tate — just not here.
5. Au bord de la Seine
Initiation begins with sweetness. Then: the push. If Avia resurfaces, she belongs.
6. Cigarette Daydream
Perfection can be isolating. Le Cercle offers sisters, peers, equal matches. Things Avia has never known.
7. Terms and Conditions
The invitation is not casual. Le Cercle does not choose lightly. How could Avia refuse?
8. Anointment
"You’re my best friend," Pia declares, as if bestowing a title. Avia understands: to be worthy is both a blessing and a burden.
9. Off Duty
There is no coercion. Just gravity. Inside the circle, every decision carries more weight.
10. Apéro Hour
Le Cercle chose Avia, and she chose it right back. Most days, she feels like this was the right move.
