The title of the exhibition Figure One refers to the illustrations in forensic pathology books, which inspired the show. In these books, meaning is constructed through fragmented images accompanied by detailed descriptions. This format is helpful in understanding how narratives are broken up and the incomplete way in which subjects are often represented.
Mandy El-Sayegh brings together diagrams of magic tricks, images taken from 1980s anatomy books, poems, news items and advertisements to form the grounds for her paintings. Through these collections of fragments she reveals the complex personal, collective and often violent histories that underpin the creation and circulation of artworks.
“My work poses the question: who is permitted to enter the space of abstraction, and which subject positions are marginalized in the process?” –Mandy El-Sayegh