The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) is delighted to announce A World Undone, a major exhibition by Australian artist Nicholas Mangan, opening from 5 April to 30 June 2024.
Curated by the MCA’s Anneke Jaspers and Anna Davis, Nicholas Mangan: A World Undone includes works created over two decades by an artist pushing sculpture to new limits. The exhibition charts the evolution of Mangan’s distinctive visual language, culminating with his latest project, Core-Coralations (2021–ongoing), inspired by the history and health of the Great Barrier Reef.
Mangan’s art considers humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Working across sculpture and film, the artist fashions surprising materials into compelling installations using everything from coconuts to coral rubble as a point of departure. With an eye on Australia’s place in the Indo-Pacific, his practice brings current affairs, contested histories and deep geological time into dialogue, offering new perspectives into topics at the forefront of public debate. Exhibition highlights include Ancient Lights (2015), a film about our relationship to the sun, powered by solar panels installed on the MCA building; Limits to Growth (2016–ongoing), which compares bitcoin with an ancient form of stone currency; and Termite Economies (2018–2020), a series of sculptures that evoke non-human labour and social organisation.
Suzanne Cotter, Director Museum of Contemporary Art Australia said:
“The MCA is a vital platform for Australian artists in key moments of their careers. The MCA is excited to be presenting Nicholas Mangan’s first comprehensive survey in Australia.”
A book containing newly commissioned essays will accompany this free exhibition. In addition, a series of public programs and digital resources will take inspiration from the many disciplines Mangan engages through his work, from economics to ecology, history and politics.
About the Artist
Nicholas Mangan (b. 1979 Djilang/Geelong) is one of Australia’s most respected contemporary artists. He has exhibited widely for two decades, including solo exhibitions at Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts, Perth (2019); Kunst-Werke Institute of Contemporary Art, Berlin (2017); Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne (2016); Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2016); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2015); Artspace, Sydney (2015); Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (2012); and Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2009).
Mangan’s work has been included in major group exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2023); 14th Shanghai Biennale (2023); Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2021); Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan (2019); NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, Singapore (2019); Taipei Biennial (2018); Sculpture Center, New York (2018); 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018); and Gwangju Biennale (2016), among many others.
Mangan’s work is held in public and private collections internationally, including Tate, London; Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Wellington; Kadist, San Francisco and Paris; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney and MCA Australia.
Mangan was the 2020 Australia Council Visual Arts Fellow. He has been awarded numerous international residencies including Recollets Artist Residency, Paris, and the Gordon and Anne Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship.
