MELANIE MANCHOT
2018
66x100cm
Edition of 5
Framed with museum glass
 
The post-industrial city of Marl, Germany carries the scars of the economic depression following the mining industry’s demise. City squares are filled with public sculptures bearing witness of past wealth surrounded by public buildings that are Brutalist masterpieces. Modernist architecture has often been a stage set, speaking to the triumphant drama of modernity and progress. In the video Cornered Star a horse stands alone. Early morning lights progressively illuminate the concrete architecture around. The horse is almost static, but in spite of his relative fixity, it remains the only source of life present in this deserted urban environment. The work looks at the archetypical forms of equestrian public sculptures and more broadly questions the use, codes and authority of public space artwork.  
 
Melanie Manchot is a London-based visual artist who works with photography, film, video and installation as part of a performative and participatory practice. Her projects often explore specific sites and public spaces to locate notions of individual and collective identities. The work investigates particular gestures and forms of movement or activities that become the marker of a group or community.
 
www.melaniemanchot.net