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On the floor, Mark Manders

One thing that I like about the works of Mark Manders are the platforms on which he places the them. These chairs and tables, made by the artist, function as pedestals for the sculptures, and are parts of the pieces as well. They integrate the works into their environments more than protecting or separating them from the audience. This goes to my interest in the trend of museum furniture and display cases where butt jointed plywood structures and untapered legs rule over polished, painted, mitered seamless structures. While his works do not reside on such structures, a portion of them utilize handmade versions of fine furniture. That, along with the works that seem as if the artist has stepped away to finish them at some point in the future, signal an ongoing process and not an end. This is exemplified in Ramble-room Chair from 2010 (pictured above) where the bronze is painted to appear as wet clay.