MARK MANDERS
b. 1968, NetherlandsThe beginning of Self-Portrait as a Building was rooted in language as Manders initially explored writing as the medium to develop his own narrative in an autobiographical manner. He later began experimenting beyond language by incorporating everyday objects as vehicles for expression, thereby shifting his attention to the structure of meaning itself. Objects— ranging from invented forms to everyday items—became his new vocabulary and grammar.
Manders employs meticulous craftsmanship in carefully rearranging and recreating architectural motifs, such as chimneys and walls, alongside objects reduced to 88%, including tables, chairs, and vessels. His timeless and distinctly non-linear body of work deliberately distorts reality, challenging any straightforward, chronological understanding of his oeuvre.
The artist and gallery would like to thank Frank Demaegd and his team. Manders continues to be represented by Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York and Los Angeles, as well as by Gallery Koyanagi in Tokyo.__
Mark Manders (b. 1968, Volkel, Netherlands) lives and works in Ronse, Belgium. A solo exhibition is scheduled to open at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, The Netherlands in 2025. Manders was commissioned by the Public Art Fund to create a large public sculpture for the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park, New York in 2019. Other large-scale outdoor sculptural installations are on display at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and at the Rokin Square in Amsterdam. He represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale in 2013. Manders co-founded independent art book publisher Roma Publications, alongside Roger Willems and Marc Nagtzaam in 1998.
Public collections include The Art Institute of Chicago, IL; Carnegie Museum of Art, PA; Kunsthaus Zürich; Museum of Modern Art, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art, LA; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Walker Art Center, MN, among others.
Courtesy Xavier Hufkens
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