Dark Mofo - This Bitter Earth

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Written By Caleb Nichols-Mansell

A fiery, smoke-filled ritual mourning the loss of Country and culture.

Commissioned for Dark Park at Dark Mofo, This Bitter Earth was a nightly ritual of fire and smoke that mourned the loss of Country and culture through visceral performance. Developed and produced by Alex Podger and myself, I was dressed in cultural furs, and stood encircled by flames, chanting in Palawa Kani as the ground burned around me. Rooted in grief and resistance, the work reawakened the shoreline of Nipaluna/Hobart with ceremony, rage, and remembrance, holding space for what has been lost and what still remains.

Client: Dark Mofo
Project Type: Festival Commission, Public Art
Location: Hobart, Tasmania
Year: 2023

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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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