Maxime Manga x Back Market

Maxime Manga x Back Market

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Back Market needed a horse. Maxime Manga took the reins.

As part of its Downgrade Now campaign, Back Market wanted to highlight the fundamental differences between human- and AI-generated art. Enter the horse. For centuries, depicting its anatomical complexity has helped to separate the good from the bad in artists’ circles – and Back Market knows it. 

The global marketplace, which specialises in refurbished technology, landed its hand-drawn horse concept by harnessing Maxime Manga’s multidisciplinary skillset. Commissioned by Brave Paris, the Cameroon-based artist engaged thoughtfully with Back Market’s motif, carefully revealing the physical intricacies of the illustration process.

“Recreating a full horse in collage while still keeping it recognisable as a horse was quite a complex game”, Maxime says. “A horse is already insanely complex anatomically, so rebuilding it from scratch – even beyond scratch – while keeping that organic feeling was a real puzzle”.

It was a puzzle the digital illustrator navigated in three distinct stages: crafting the horse, creating the background, conveying the energy. Leaning into graffiti-style patterns, tactile brushwork and clever typography, Maxime brought true depth to the composition, expertly addressing the elusive ‘AI versus man-made’ question. Hurdle cleared.