The Death of the Muse is an experimental art-book by MAR—visual artist, writer, and performer—that merges poetry, essays, sketches, and found materials into a visceral meditation on womanhood, transformation, and artistic survival. Told in four acts—Crucifixion, Suicide, Purgatory, and Resurrection—the book maps the symbolic deaths an artist endures, particularly as a trans woman navigating a world that romanticizes her image but dismisses her voice.
MAR’s journey begins with a dream of becoming the muse—beautiful, desired, inspiring—but after transitioning, she found that this role silenced her as an artist. To reclaim herself, she had to destroy the muse within, embracing rage, complexity, and contradiction. What started as a suicide note at 27 became a book created without commercial intent—art for its own sake, as a means of survival.
Brutally honest and at times intentionally unlikeable, MAR resists victim narratives, instead exploring the messy aftermath of transition and the unspoken truths of self-confrontation. The Death of the Muse is a raw, defiant declaration: creation can be both the wound and the healing.
Written and designed by @marthebratz
Edited by Julia Laurent
Originally published by Autoras en Tienda
More work at: www.marthebratz.net
Purchase the physical book here
Get the e-book here
