Gerard Manion
Gerard Manion was born in Southport, Queensland. He has been a stable artist with Maunsell Wickes Gallery in Paddington since 1998 and his work is strongly represented in collections around the world. In recent years Gerard has enjoyed a diverse career, balancing his impressive work for the dance/theatre stage with the ongoing demands of his principal creativity as an artist creating formal artworks and collectible pieces.
It was the creation of the set for Graeme Murphy’s Air and Other Invisible Forces in 1999 that marked a turning point in both Gerard Manion’s style and his career. Embarking on new design projects in subsequent years, Gerard has further refined his design style, reducing th
e visual effects to his signature line work. In 2002, Gerard designed the set for Graeme Murphy’s Ellipse for Sydney Dance Company. The production gained rave reviews and earned him a Green Room Award Nomination for Best Design.
In 2005, he was invited to design Graeme Murphy’s GRAND, reuniting with collaborators Murphy (choreography) and Akira Isogawa (costumes) in what was their third project together.
Sydney Dance Company has since taken Air and Other Invisible Forces, GRAND and Ellipse on extensive tours in Australia, Europe and the United States, where Gerard’s work has received high praise.
In 2007, Gerard completed his fourth set design for Sydney Dance Company with the revitalised new staging of Graeme Murphy’s Berlin for seasons in Sydney and Brisbane. This historic occasion marked the last major season produced by Graeme Murphy with the Sydney Dance Company. In 2008 Gerard was again commissioned to design the sets for Azsure Bartons’ first Australian production Sids Waltzing Masquerade.
Gerard has also produced the Romeo & Juliet‘s sets for The Australian Ballet.