Yirramboi

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Written By Caleb Nichols-Mansell

A large-scale neon text work declaring bodily sovereignty and saltwater connection.

Commissioned as part of Yirramboi’s emerging artist program Barring Yanabul, I created My Body is Country, My Blood is Salt Water, a large-scale neon text work suspended in the festival’s Meat Market hub. Adapted from a spoken word performance and video piece, the work asserts bodily sovereignty and deep cultural connection to saltwater Country. Illuminated in a bold and minimal form, it served as both a poetic provocation and a cultural anchor within one of Australia’s leading First Nations arts festivals.

Client: Yirramboi
Project Type: Festival Commission, Public Art
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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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