At the threshold of shadow, light begins its story.
Biography
CLIFTON MAHANGOE - LIGHT ARTIST In the 90’s Mahangoe was one of the first to use video projections mapping of waterfalls and other natural phenomena on life-sized holo-, and water screens as decor pieces during commercial events. He worked together with Dutch artists like Micha Klein on enchanting installations that enchanted and stimulated the imagination of the visitors. Furthering on these applied artworks, Mahangoe developed his current autonomous works. From 2013 till 2016 art he studied with artist Reinoud Oudshoorn (teacher at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague). His oeuvre consists of videos and light installations in which Mahangoe creates especially a great attention for stillness and movement of water in particular. The installations are a succession of thousands of carefully shot and selected video images: reflections and shadow play of running water in particular. In his artistic career Mahangoe has extensively studied the working of ambient and technical light in relation to material, form and technique. In his work he explores abstraction and where the boundaries of familiarity begin to blur, he uses new cutting-edge and new technologies that give as sense of scaled images from cosmic worlds. In fact, it is the real world perceived through petri dishes, extreme close-up motion-control of drone footage geothermal landscapes and underwater shots of pristine waterfalls. Polarity in the earthly and the cosmic, polarity in in our dark and light nature, polarity in illusion and disillusion. Important to the artist is the use of the circle, the symbol of infinity. Mahangoe’s work in recent years was shown at Art Rai Amsterdam 2026, Davos WEF ART 2026, Light Art Dubai 2023, Rotterdam Art week 2023, Big Art Bijlmer Bajes Amsterdam 2022/2025, Art Island Pampus 2021, Paleis Soestdijk at World Peace Day 2021, Sardinia Italy 2021, Oceanic Global in Atzaro Ibiza, 4 years in a row Westergasfabriek Amsterdam, Biennale Venice 2019. Education HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, Art design for interaction 3d Design, Animation, Illustration Commission develops short art films for public space, to improve spatial experiences from stations 10 films without beginning or end, intrigued by the architecture of Rotterdam Period 2007 (6 months) Coaching & counseling Education TU Delft University of Technology, Interaction design, industrial design, strategic product design Commission develops a visual concepts for the public space, in order to enhance the spatial experiences of public space Goal Aims to bring video art into the public space by designing new forms of buildings and squares Period 2008-2009 (12 months) Coaching & counseling