Mark Manders

Room with Chairs and Factory

2003-2008
Wood, iron, rubber, painted polyester, painted ceramic, painted canvas, unpainted canvas, painted wig, chair, offset print on paper
240 x 405 x 318 cm
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Marguerite Stone bequest and gift of Mrs. Saidie A. May (both by exchange)

MM: As an artist you are not only talking to your­ self. In making artworks, you are also talking to works by other artists. Good artworks freeze, and they all freeze around one single moment. There this work speaks to the silent paintings of de Chirico. I wanted to make de Chirico jealous with this room. I know that he has been dead now for more than thirty years, but for us that does not matter, and I don’t mean jealous in a negative way but jealous in a more beautiful way, and in this good way I succeeded. This work is an image of the word factory that is taken from outside and placed inside a room. The organization of the interior of this living room factory is based on the very first floor plan of Self-Portrait as a Building from 1986. You can file both works under Bachelor Machines.