In her work, Manlanbien seeks to juxtapose diverse cultural elements, bringing them together to form new, syncretic pieces with additional layers of meaning. Interested in the complex relationships between notions of a universal popular culture, everyday life, and traditional handmade construction processes, she creates physical encounters between industrial and artisanal materials. Manlanbien has lived in Paris since leaving her native Côte d’Ivoire in 2004 during the civil war. She is greatly inspired by the long-standing traditional practices of the matriarchal Akan society in the Ivory Coast, who historically crafted weights in order to value gold. She was awarded her MA in Fine Art at l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Recent exhibitions include Soft Power, Transpalette, Bourges (2018); Le Centre, the Vallois Gallery, Paris and Manlanbien was part of the 28th International EVA Biennale in Limerick, Ireland (2018).