Marielle Plaisir 

The Duck

2025

black bronze

Marielle Plaisir is a French-Caribbean multidisciplinary artist, designer, and public art creator based in Miami. Her work traverses painting, sculpture, monumental public installations, and immersive VR environments, exploring themes of power, identity, and resilience. 

Visit Marielle's website to learn more.

Inspired by Muhammad Ali’s 1971 conversation with Michael Parkinson, The Duck gives form to his question: “Momma, why is everything white? … And the little ugly duckling was the black duck.”

In a world where democracies falter and identity is constantly renegotiated, the sculpture becomes an emblem of resistance and remembrance. Cast in black bronze, it transforms fragility into permanence and stigma into strength. The “black duck” no longer symbolizes exclusion but resilience—the power to exist and to endure.

As global politics drift toward division and fear, The Duck reclaims visibility for what history tried to silence. It stands as a meditation on collective memory, beauty, and belonging. In its weight and darkness, the sculpture affirms that what was once diminished can rise again—solid, dignified, and eternal.