Rose Marie, a photographic portrait by Christel Boertjes
Christel Boertjes was selected as one of the Dutch artists of the 7th Pépinières Pépinières Européennes pour Jeunes Artistes for Young Artists is working at the Centre Méditeranéen de la Photographie on the island of Corsica. 
Rose-Marie
For weeks I had seen her walking with her cart
full of rubbish, dolls and books. Rose Marie lived
on the streets of Bastia for the past 10 years.
After a first staged introduction, I would often
walk down her street.
One night Rose Marie saw me walk by and shouted:
Christelle. I did not have the nerve to tell her
I wanted to portray her. That night she carried
my camera mount while I shot her surroundings.
I hardly speak any French and she no Dutch,
we were silent.
She asked me for some personal items and clothes,
so she could make me a doll. I gave her a pair of
tights, an old t-shirt, a shell, a gold marker and
some buttons.
The next day she hung the doll in a bag on my
front door. I could not find her that day
so I put a book I once made in her cart as a
present. The next day she tells me she disapproves of
my book. She is angry with me, because the pictures
in my book are too personal.She does not like colour
photography and gave away my book. She only reads
Umberto Eco. She says shes selfish because of all
the trouble she has seen.
She tells me she wants to murder people. She says I
look awful, far to pale, grabs some orange foundation
and puts it on my face.
Maybe she answers when I ask to take her picture,
Christel Boertjes, Bastia (Corsica) 2006
