Artists statement

Nicholas Mangan is an Australian multidisciplinary artist known for his sculptural and film-based installations that explore the complex relationships between global economic systems, resource extraction, and the natural world.

The 'Brilliant Errors' works are unique, non-editioned pieces, comprising of photographs and news clippings pinned to cork board, framed under bright orange Perspex. The images and news clippings relate to Mangan’s research into the history of the sun and its life-giving properties, more recently harnessed by the solar industry as an alternative to coal. The images and news clippings stem from a wide range of sources – from human sacrifice in ancient Mayan culture to the biophysics of the Russian scientist, Alexander Chizhevsky; currency fluctuations to the eleven-year solar cycle itself. The bright orange Perspex glows vividly when hit by natural light, reminding the viewer of the centrality and omnipresence of the sun’s power in the structure of our days and lives.

Born in Geelong, Nicholas Mangan lives and works in Melbourne. After completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, he undertook a two-year studio residency at Gertrude Contemporary, and earned a PhD in Fine Art at Monash University, where he currently serves as Senior Lecturer.