About

Mahani is a visual artist based in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally from Western Australia, she has a Masters in Art from the College of Fine Art UNSW (now UNSWAAD) and a Graduate Diploma in Photomedia from Edith Cowan University. 

With a background in design, Mahani's work comprises of painting, photography and design. Routinely drawn to mundane, everyday scenes that often go ignored by the passerby, Mahani seeks to reveal their vague beauty. By manipulating colour—and often reconstructing scenes with familiar landscapes and urban objects— surreal, polychromatic versions of reality emerge.

Education

2025 Painting - Browne School of Art
2014 MFA - College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales
2009 Graduate Diploma of Creative Industries - Photomedia Edith Cowan University
2001 Cert. III & IV Multimedia Designer - SAE Technology College
1993 Adv. Cert. of Art and Design - Central West College of TAFE

Awards

2022 People's Choice Art Award NZ Art Show - Finalist
2021 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award - Finalist
2021 Australian Photography Awards, Open/Illustrative category - Shortlisted
2019 Australian Photography Awards, Open/Illustrative category - Honourable Mention
2019 Little Things Art Prize - Finalist
2018 People's Choice Art Award NZ Art Show - Finalist
2013 Iris Award, Perth Centre for Photography - Finalist
2010 Iris Award, Perth Centre for Photography - Finalist
2010 Shutterbug Award - Finalist

Group Exhibitions

2025 Painting 2, Browne School of Art, Auckland, New Zealand
2022 NZ Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand
2022 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award, Hazelhurst Art Centre, Sydney, Australia
2021 NZ Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand
2019 It’s Not Just a Hobby, GAFFA Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2019 NZ Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand
2018 NZ Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand
2016 Tesselate, Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2013 Charming Collective Annual Show, ArtEst Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2012 Impressions, Beowulf Galleries, Sydney, Australia
2010 Shared Visions, Perth Centre for Photography, Perth, Australia
2010 Shared Visions, Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh