I transform life’s stories into visual narratives, like pages from an intimate diary. My artworks whisper secrets, sometimes mine, sometimes yours.
Examining the human experience, I capture both the highs and lows that shape us. My art acts as a mirror, reflecting emotions we all share. When you view my work, it’s not just about my perspective, it’s about yours. I invite you to interpret, connect and weave your own story into the blank spaces of my compositions.
Image credit: Sarah Campbell
Shanay Manitzky is a deeply intentional, Australian, figurative artist whose work blends whimsy with introspection. Grounded in storytelling, she creates minimalist yet emotionally rich visual narratives. Working primarily on raw wood surfaces, the grain becomes an integral part of the composition. Her art explores themes of escapism, daydreaming, and the tension between the mundane and the fantastical. Through recurring motifs such as astronaut helmets, antique diving gear, and playful vacation symbols, Manitzky creates characters who navigate ordinary tasks while longing for adventure, quietly mirroring her own aspirations.
Drawing inspiration from personal experience, her practice often resembles an intimate “Dear Diary.” Her recent series examine the relationship between people and objects, blurring the line between the real and the surreal.
Manitzky holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Fine Arts & Design, Auckland, NZ (2013), and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Auckland (2014).
Manitzky has exhibited in galleries across Australia and New Zealand, including Aspire Gallery (Brisbane, AU), Gatakers Art Space (Maryborough, AU), Art Lovers Australia (Melbourne, AU), and Pearce Gallery (Auckland, NZ).
Her work has received recognition in major art prizes, winning the Drawing Section of the Aspects Art Show (Goondiwindi, 2023), and a finalist in the Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne (2024), and the Bluethumb Art Prize (2023, 2022). She was also an entrant in the Archibald Portrait Prize (2023).
Manitzky has been commissioned by Fraser Coast Regional Council to create permanent public artworks for Maryborough, QLD.
Shanay Manitzky is represented by Aspire Gallery, Paddington, Brisbane.
Australian Contemporary Figurative Artist
Artist CV
EDUCATION
2014 - Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary), University of Auckland, Auckland, NZ
2013 - Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Fine Arts, Whitecliffe College of Fine Arts, Auckland, NZ
AWARDS
2025 Finalist, Petite Pieces
2024 Finalist, Omnia Art Prize
2023 Finalist, Foot Square Art Prize
2023 Finalist, Bluethumb Art Prize
2023 Winner, Aspects Art Show (Drawing section)
2023 Finalist, Lethbridge 2000 – Salon de refuse
2023 Finalist, Petite Pieces
2022 Finalist, Bluethumb Art Prize
CURATOR
2024 Selfsameness, Gatakers Artspace, Maryborough, AUS
2022 In Colour, Gatakers Artspace, Maryborough, AUS
2022 Full view, Brolga Theatre, Maryborough, AUS
2019 Endangered, Maryborough Art Society Art Gallery, Maryborough, AUS
2018 Plastic Pollution, Maryborough Art Society Art Gallery, Maryborough, AUS
RESIDENCIES
2024 Dear Diary - Artist in residence, Gatakers Creative Space, Maryborough, AUS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Mid-Sentence, Gatakers Artspace, Maryborough, AUS
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2024 Foot Square Art Prize, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2024 Downlands Art Show, Downlands College, Toowoomba, AUS
2024 Affordable Art Fair Sydney, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, AUS
2024 The Tower Art Show, Marist College, Brisbane, AUS
2024 Affordable Art Fair Sydney, The Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, AUS
2024 Aspects Art Prize, Goondiwindi Showgrounds, Goondiwindi, AUS
2024 Omnia Art Prize, St Kevins College, Victoria, AUS
2024 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2023 Echo, Side Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2023 Foot Square Art Prize, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2023 Surface, Art Lovers Australia, Melbourne, AUS
2023 Downlands Art Show, Downlands College, Toowoomba, AUS
2023 Aspects Art Prize, Goondiwindi Showgrounds, Goondiwindi, AUS
2023 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2022 Inverell Art Prize, Inverell Art Gallery, Inverell, AUS
2022 Downlands College Art Show, Downlands College, Toowoomba, AUS
2022 Little Feature, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, AUS
2022 Maryborough Art Society Annual Exhibition, Gatakers Art Space, Maryborough, AUS
2020 CQ Stories without words, Gladstone Hospital, Gladstone, AUS
2020 Females to the Front!, Lewis Gallery, Hervey Bay, AUS
2017 Creative Mirror, Thievery Studio, Auckland, NZ & Crisp Creative Studios, Sydney, AUS
2016 Poona Art Show, Poona, AUS
2015 Maryborough Art Festival, Maryborough, AUS
2014 Mount Albert Grammar Fine Art Show, Mount Albert Grammar, Auckland, NZ
2013 Whitecliffe College of Fine Arts Graduation Show, Whitecliffe College of Fine Arts, Auckland, NZ
2013, Un-hung, Pearce Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2012, Trinket, Lazy Last Sundays Festival, Auckland, NZ
2012, Orphaned By Purpose, Pearce Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2011, Dig My Soul, The Loft. Auckland, NZ
2010, Fraser Coast Art Awards, Maryborough Showgrounds, Maryborough, AUS
PUBLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
Curated by Sariah, New Beginnings, Issue #2, 2023 p. 31-33
Scene Magazine, Telling stories through sketches, December, 2022 p. 2-3 Read here
Alive Magazine, Putting pen to paper, Issue #21 April, 2022 p. 20-21 Read here
Art Edit Magazine, In conversation with, Issue #31 – Winter, 2022 p. 106-107 Read here
The Beacon Magazine, Shanay’s Art Studio Presents Endangered, Issue #7 - November, 2019 p. 26-29
Fraser Coast Chronicle, Students cheer for house mascot murals, July 4, 2019 Read here
Fraser Coast Herald, Rec Centre gets mural makeover, May 16, 2019
WIN News, The Crest, March 29, 2019
Fraser Coast Regional Council, Maryborough Crest unveiling, March 28, 2019 Watch here
The Beacon Magazine, Painting a brighter future, Issue #2 - December, 2018 p.22-23, 28-29
Fraser Coast Chronicle, Rubbish finds new life as art, December 6, 2018
7 Wide Bay News, Whipcracker mural, June 25, 2018 Watch here
COMMISSIONS
Maryborough Community Recreation Centre, 2019
Exterior painting on marine ply, 20 x 1.8 metres. Located at Cnr Ariadne &, Woodstock St, Maryborough QLD.
Commissioned by Fraser Coast Regional Council
Faith, strength, and courage, 2019
Exterior paint on aluminium panels. 3 x 3 metres. Located at Maryborough Town Hall Green, QLD.
Commissioned by Fraser Coast Regional Council
Whipcracker, 2018
Exterior painting on brick wall. Located at 144 Bazaar Street, Maryborough, QLD.
Artwork donated by artist
Works held in private collections in Australia and New Zealand.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Flying Arts Alliance
Maryborough Art Society
Queensland Art Teachers Association
