Take Me Down: Mando Marie @ STRAAT Gallery

Mando Marie

Mando Marie was shaped by her American upbringing but has now lived in Europe for years. She divides her time between Amsterdam and her apple farm on the Silver Coast in Portugal.

She is known for her meticulous dedication to hand-drawn and hand-cut stencils. Vintage sewing patterns and duo images are typical of her studio work.

Her works are characterized by an immediately recognizable visual style and combine youthful innocence with 'rites of passage' of nuanced tension, connecting comfort with a dark allure.

“Take Me Down is - like my other titles and my work in general - about multiple meanings and feelings. To be taken down a notch is humility. To be taken down to the beach is a nice afternoon. A multitude of meanings in one expression or image is something I am always looking for. It is one thing on the surface, but the ideas and layers underneath must be multiple, complex and authentic.” / Mando Marie