Melancholy of 'The Mandem'

'Mad men Mandem' (Syahi, 2024) was a painting that depicts an array of men I have grown up with in varying capacities and now that I think of it, was the first in a long line of art pieces which act as an ongoing commentary of "The Mandem".

A term often used to describe a group of men that often have close relations. It's older or other counterpart/terms would be the Brotherhood, the Gang, the pack, the dogs or the guys. However, there's something in recent years I have come to despise about the term mandem...maybe it's about how easily it morphs all men into one identity and removes any agency, individuality or separation from the flurry of identities that are amalgamated into one.

Since the art: Mad men Mandem, I have gone on to make at least 7 other pieces dissecting the experience of being a cis man.

1. Mad men Mandem - Some men in my life

2. Swallows Nest - A vulnerable man

3. Strong Spirit - A weak man

4. Hold me, please - A man who needs help

5. Elephant Party - A man who thinks he is funny

6. The Occassion - A man who is elevated

7. The Shepherd - The last man standing

8. i am a good man. - A man who wears a mask

You can probably get a feel for what I think about men through my art. As much as my eyes are windows into the state of others around me, they are infact mirrors that look inward. Commentaries and lessons about myself, for myself, to learn for myself. Only 2 of them really place being a man in somewhat a positive light, and even then...they are accompanied with themes of conflict, war and even intensity.

My art centres around a few specific outcomes. Art that is simply to adorn a space, art that holds more than what's on the surface and art that is unappealing as a concept but solely for thought.