Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, A Leaf Shapes The Eye

Deeply influenced by the socio-natural context of Brazil, the work of Daniel Steegmann Mangrané (Barcelona, 1977; lives and works between Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona) looks into ecology as a tool to analyse the relationships of mutual transformation. Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma is presenting the largest survey of the artist in the Nordic countries to date, taking up over 1,000 square meters. The exhibition includes a wide array of media such as collage, drawing, holograms, installation, moving image, photography, sculpture, sound, and poetry, and this event marks his Finnish debut.

Employing ostensibly opposite ideas such as belonging and dissolution or opacity and transparency, Steegmann Mangrané creates immersive environments by materializing liminal states in which the visual and the material coalesce. Kiasma's exhibition is a unique opportunity to engage with the artist's expanded body of work, a cohesive albeit diverse place of experience and a reflection on the multiple networks defining life on the planet.

Echoing the use of bodily, perceptual, and sensorial strategies as a means of political participation by such 1960s Brazilian artists as Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica, Steegmann Mangrané creates sensual, playful situations, which overcome artificial dualisms that have historically defined our reading of the world. According to him, such dichotomies are not only false but also hierarchical, placing mind above body, rational thought above emotion, and culture above nature, ultimately enabling noxious worldviews. In opposition, Steegmann Mangrané proposes an integrated approach to address the critical moment of ecological crisis we are currently experiencing.

The exhibition is curated by João Laia, chief curator of temporary exhibitions at Kiasma, and Hiuwai Chu, head of exhibitions Macba, with Piia Oksanen, curator of temporary exhibitions Kiasma. The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication.  

The exhibition is produced in collaboration with MACBA—Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. With the support of the Institut Ramon Llull.

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané
A Leaf Shapes the Eye
31/03 – 10/09/2023

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
Mannerheiminaukio 2
Helsinki, Finland

On the cover: Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Rotating Table / Speculative Device, 2018, mirrored steel rotating surfaces, tripod, split branch, approx. 100 x 60 x 60 cm

Source: Mendes Wood DM