Museum of Old and New Art

AllCollaborationConsultationPublic Art
Written By Caleb Nichols-Mansell

A living landscape of endemic plants reclaiming space, story, and food sovereignty on Country.

Engaged by MONA as a cultural consultant for In Absence, I developed a community engagement strategy connecting the artwork with Palawa Country and knowledge. The work supported commissions for local interpretation, community participation in the opening, and a proposed garden of native foods and cultural resources. The planting design is complete, with implementation deferred. Designed as an evolving ‘outdoor supermarket’, the garden foregrounds food sovereignty, community access, and cultural plant use. Developed in collaboration with Palawa community members, the intervention reclaims space and story through living landscape.

Read the full case study for detailed information about the project.

Client: MONA
Project Type: Collaboration, Consultation, Public Art
Location: Hobart, Tasmania
Year: 2025-26

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Caleb Nichols-Mansell

Caleb Nichols-Mansell moves between Country, culture, and contemporary practice — weaving stories from land, spirit, and community into powerful visual languages. As a proud Palawa man, Caleb's work bridges the ancient and the evolving, reimagining Aboriginal knowledge systems through design, public art, and digital storytelling.

His practice is rooted in Country and carried forward through site-responsive interventions, graphic and surface design, and large-scale public commissions. Through intricate textures, flowing linework, and bold organic forms, Caleb invites reflection on identity, resilience, and the enduring strength of Palawa people.

His works have been commissioned by leading institutions across Australia, including MONA, University of Tasmania, Arts Tasmania, Australian Fashion Week, Lifeline Australia, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; embedding stories of survival, connection, and contemporary Aboriginal identity into the cultural, public, and built environment.

www.calebnicholsmansell.com.au

https://www.calebnicholsmansell.com.au
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