Ramita Partida

Before he became an artist, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané contemplated becoming a biologist; he kept in his artistic work a close relationship with the non-human, devoid of what he calls ‘the inherent suffering of the exact sciences’. He aims to transform our perception of the environment and our relationship with it by picking out its lines and architecture, ultimately restoring its beauty and vulnerability.

To create Ramita Partida, the artist split several beech branches in two, maintaining a distance between the two parts with wires. The work involves a collaboration between the artist and the branch: the cut is made when the plant is still slightly 'green', following the lines of what he calls 'plant calligraphy'. The branch then continues the artist's drawing as it grows. Held horizontally in a precarious balance, the work invites the viewer to move closer, so as to better penetrate it through the gaze and thus 'become one' with it. In this way, Steegmann Mangrané reminds us that humanity, as an integral part of this microcosm, is also at risk of collapse.

This work was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the exhibition ‘Avant l'orage’ at the Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, Paris, February - September 2023.