Mandy El-Sayegh: The Amateur

Mandy El-Sayegh’s highly process-driven practice is rooted in an exploration of material and language. Executed in a wide range of media, including densely layered paintings, sculpture, installation, diagrams, and sound and video, El-Sayegh’s work investigates the formation and break-down of systems of order, be they bodily, linguistic, or political. Through simple, repetitive patterns such as a hand-painted grid or geometric molds, formal and narrative synthesis occurs that is not consciously intended or anticipated. Solo and two-person exhibitions of El-Sayegh’s work have been organized at Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, South Korea (2022), UTA Artist Space, Los Angeles, CA (2022), and elsewhere, and is held in many private and public collections.

The Brooklyn Rail’s Director of Programs Chloe Stagaman is a curator working with artists in public spaces. Prior to her time at the Rail, Chloe was a public art curator in London where she collaborated with artists to deliver site-specific commissions, artist-in-residence programs, and cultural partnerships in the US and UK. Chloe has also held stints at Van Alen Institute in New York, where she created international public programs on topics in architecture and urban design, at Judd Foundation and at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago. She has an M.A. in Art History with a focus on documentary photography and contemporary art from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London.