Gian Manik

In the months he spent in Prato, Gian Manik took his exploration of institutional painting, colonial legacies, and queer frameworks in an innovative direction, locating his work firmly within the artistic and historical contexts of the Prato area. Drawing on the region's rich museum collections and proximity to major Italian cultural centres, Gian pursued a sustained dialogue between tradition and contemporary practice, with a particular focus on skill and labour as dynamic tools in painting.

Gian participated in the educational offering of courses at the campus, delivering public presentations, workshops, and lectures for MADA's undergraduate students, where he shared his practice and engaged participants in discussions around contemporary painting, cultural narratives, and the conceptual underpinnings of visual art.

In Prato and the surrounding area, Gian made contact with collections, institutions, and cultural sites that directly informed a new body of work interrogating the legacy of Western art history through queer and postcolonial lenses. The results of the residency have emerged from this deep engagement with Prato's and Italy's museums and archives, reflecting the intersection of history, memory, and identity that defines his practice.