Marcus Manganni

Manganni’s current artistic practice emerged during a period of solitary confinement, where he spent 34 days in complete isolation after being compelled to engage in a fight. In that time, he began using materials available in his environment, such as metallic bags from commissary potato chips, to bounce and refract a sliver of natural light that entered his cell. He created sun maps, tracing the movement of light across the floors and walls. Through this scattering of light and its interaction with his interventions,
Manganni explored both his physical and social isolation. This led him to an understanding of how light and space were integral to his experience of trauma. Today, he continues to use light as a medium to interrogate systems of hierarchy and oppression.
‍
Manganni’s work has recently been exhibited in New York, Miami, and Aspen. He was selected as a presenting artist by the Ford Foundation and received both a 2023 Art 4 Justice Fellowship and a 2022 Right of Return Fellowship. His work is featured in private and public collections across the United States.