Melanie Manchot (born 1966 in Witten) is a London-based visual artist who works with photography, film, video and installation as part of a performative and participatory practice.
Manchot first came to prominence in the mid- to late nineties for an early series of portraits taken entirely of her mother who she photographed naked both in the studio and against a variety of city- and landscapes.
When first exhibited the works received widespread attention and contributed to a growing debate around the representation of women, age and contested notions of body politics.
Manchot's methodology is based around participatory processes, often involving groups or communities and creating expanded portraits of people, both their individual and social selfs.
Notable solo exhibitions include Celebration (Cyprus Street), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2010);[2] Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Oregon; Moscow Girls und Andere Geschichten, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin (2006),[3] Melanie Manchot, Cornerhouse, Manchester (2002)[4] and Stories from Russia, The Photographers' Gallery, London (2005).