At home with….Mancsy
7 April 2021
Mancsy is an anonymous Manchester artist known for his monthly screen-print giveaways that he started in January 2012. He gives away these fabulous signed screen-prints, often called ‘free bees’, in a game of ‘finderskeepers’. Mancsy was an early adopter of the bee graphic with a Factory Records style hazard stripe abdomen.
Over the years the Mancsy fan base and community has grown, thanks to social media groups and swap shops; friendships and even a romance was born of it! Social media chat is often the inspiration for a project or idea as Mancsy draws from the hive around him.
Last year brought about many changes because of the pandemic, what were the consequences for you as an artist?
A large part of my concept is to play a monthly game of ‘finderskeepers’ where I post screen prints around the city of Manchester for people to find. It’s a way to engage people who originally didn’t have an interest in art, and also to encourage people to get out and explore. My work is largely Manchester focused so the two are intrinsically linked in my concept as Mancsy. I had to stop the physical game due to lockdown and also, I had limited access to make prints due to not being able to visit my studio. I continued to make art and graphics and share these via social media. Playing games - setting art competitions for people to send messages of positivity in lockdown. As prizes I send small bee drawings to each winner. I’ve always used social media as a mechanism to chat and get ideas for my work as Mancsy.
I stopped selling work intentionally as I believed it to be non-essential trade, I could see a risk of viral spread in my distribution. I have a day job, selling artwork under the identity of Mancsy was not a necessity. I am the sole seller of my artwork and trade via an online shop and post via Royal Mail using the Recorded Delivery service, which results in interactions at the Post Office, sorting and doorstep delivery. A customer noted that my action was of no significance while Amazon were trading but I felt it was the correct thing to do. As lockdown eased, I released a smaller work at A4 and posted them door to door which reduced the interaction points where viral transmission was of concern to me.
It’s been an odd time creatively and many makers have been challenged. I see this time has value and will shape a great deal of exciting work in the years ahead. I did a print of a Dalek outside MCR Town Hall with the text Isolate. Say it in a Dalek voice - it makes me smile.
Were there any arts projects that stood out for you during this time?
I encouraged people who had shared positive messages with me to enter them to the Great Northern Messages of Hope project and I’m pleased to see some featured on their mural on Deansgate. I’m keen to encourage people to indulge in their own creativity and ‘play’ with words, song, pictures, crafts, cooking… whatever medium they fancy. In my mind process is more valuable than product and during lockdown it was good to hear people were active in new fields.
I think it is incredible that you’ve made collecting art accessible by leaving a number of your works around town to any lucky finder. What made you start this practice?
I work in a world where I constantly move between projects and as such, I created an art project which mimicked this rapid turnaround in creative output. It was a five-month project exploring the potential of engaging a non-art community in art in Manchester. The notion to hide work and play a game would encourage people to explore their community. I was mindful the demographics of the city centre were changing, a community of young people had moved to the city and did not necessarily know the beauty in the back streets… equally some of the original communities that were possibly feeling marginalised were not necessarily accessing the redevelopment. It came as quite a surprise to me how much engagement occurred quickly. Of course, after five months, I was enjoying the game myself and had an endless list of new ideas. So, we continued to play and interact, and it got bigger and bigger and a social media community followed.
Many people who are new to the art world are looking for inspiration and guidance. For those not able to go on your treasure hunt I am glad that you sell your works too. Is there one stand out tip that you can give to those who are starting a new collection or considering buying their first work of art?
I also play many online games and give away work remotely so people who are not in Manchester can also get ‘free bees’. If you trawl my social media, you will see me suddenly identify somebody who has done something nice for somebody else and offer to send them some artwork in return…
In terms of people buying art, I would suggest you buy what you like. Don’t be caught up on some notional investment plan, think what you would like to live with for a while. It may be something that matches your interest, it might be something with a message or a connection to an experience in your life, it may be something you look at and you get lost within- something that holds your attention and takes you away from the moment- like reading a book or singing in the car. I think it’s also important to note that tastes change during your life. What you like when you’re 21 and what you like when you’re 55 might be different. So you don’t feel obliged to have that one picture up on the wall for your whole lifetime; you can put it in a folder under your bed and get it out at a future point - like the posters some of us had on the walls in our teen bedrooms. They were purposeful to us at the time, but we accept they won’t be up forever.
Also there is a misconception about price. So many artists offer work at such a low rate and if you contact them you might be surprised. Many have online shop links and you are paying an artist directly; the work comes from their studio to your home. This is a lovely action. I’ve become Facebook friends with artists I’ve bought from and so I know more about them than I would. It’s nice to feel connected.
If you’ve bought art yourself could you tell us what is was and why you were attracted to it?
I buy art all the time. I have more art than wall space! I buy things I like. I have a collection of works by Jay Ryan I bought at Richard Goodall Gallery over the years. I liked going in and browsing. In more recent times I buy work online and will email artists and galleries to ask questions before spending. I buy art as gifts so like to look and see what’s out there. Incidentally some of the work has gained value and so was a sound investment but unless I need to release capital the pictures are on my walls. I move things around as well, so I see them with fresh eyes - you stop looking at the pattern on the wallpaper but when you change it for a time you see they change each day.
I tend to buy handmade work rather than digital prints as I like the sense that another artist has physically made the work.
Is there one work that you either own or would like to own that stands out above all others for you? What is it and why?
I have many pieces I love. I have cool work by contemporary print makers, drawings gifted by friends (I have some arty pals), I have pictures drawn by my children, posters for events in Manchester, a photocopy of a picture from a book I had as a child that delights me every day.
Many collectors are looking to deepen their knowledge of the arts and the market. Is there a book you can recommend?
Pop on Grayson’s Art Club, or any of this series and hear a curious mind yet British art royalty talk about process and ideas. See how his work is informed by sources and yet original. Pick up your felt tips and copy a 20th Century master - find out why they did what they did… look for something that people might say isn’t art- Carl Andre’s bricks, Malevich’s black square and find out what they are really all about. Go ahead and make your own response… maybe try out different options. Once you have, see if your opinion has changed, it’s cool if it hasn’t but it’s now informed.
I enjoyed reading Grayson Perry’s Playing to the Gallery. I do my bit to try and encourage people to step inside the gallery be it public collection or commercial space. The idea of engaging people with art was to address some of these issues. So, they know they can walk through the door and ask questions, be curious even reveal their naivety. You don’t have to be able to afford it to ask about it. People seem to fear the context. I fully admit to feeling intimidated in galleries, of a certain type, where some smart assistant hovers looking as removed from the process of making art as possible - of course well versed in the talk and theory; sometimes you feel like you are on a forecourt for a high-end car. The inaccessibility of this is challenging. I liked the MCR Open at HOME, I’ve long thought we need a true open like the RA Summer Exhibition, to be accessible and inclusive. You can stand by a painting of a car by a six-year old and delight in it and then look at a Hockney and see the two are connected. This stuff has value.
What is the one thing you look forward to in the art world in 2021?
I look forward to the space to develop new work, access the studio and play ‘finderskeepers’. Lockdown has been a challenge as while I am constantly creative with work my job has taken more of me, being confined with family is wonderful but home-schooling has been a challenge around work. Getting out, seeing different landscapes, and seeing how this impacts on my work both as the identity Mancsy and my wider artwork will be interesting.