Daniel Steegmann Mangrané Galho Partido, 2024
Split elm branch and silk string
60 x 60 x 30 cm (23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 11 3/4 in)
Suspended from a nearly invisible thread, this work belongs to Daniel Steegmann Mangrané’s series of prepared sculptures made from split twigs or small bisected branches. Split, the organic shape appears doubled and with this intervention the forms are transformed. In its modified state the organic shapes can recall human-made geometric forms or symmetrical compositions. Yet, the material remains connected to its former state as living substance. This tension between states of being gives the small sculptures an embodied, even soulful, quality that suggest a sense of both fragility and resilience.