Marie studied as a painter but today her practice takes the form of photography, video, installation and performance. “I have always been obsessed with creating things, communicating stories and feelings. Art has been the perfect outlet for me. When it was time to decide what I wanted to study at University, art was the first and only choice.” Displacement and identity are major themes in her work, which often takes the form of self-portraiture. As an immigrant to the United States, Marie first began putting herself in her work in an attempt to “belong” here. Eventually, she realized she “would always be Czech living in the U.S.” and thankfully, says Marie, “I do not crave so blindly to belong anymore.” In a sense, some of her latest work is about embracing displacement. Marie lives and works from her place in the East Village and is currently developing her first book, “Miss Amerika,” a collaboration with Czech artist Mirenka Cechova. It’s a work of fiction focusing on issues of displacement, immigration and notions of identity. “I can’t wait to see the whole project come to life as a multi-media performance piece, exhibition of my photographs and the book itself, which is being published by Wo-men publishing in Prague.” Tomanova’s first solo show “Young American” will debut at the Czech Center this coming June 2018.