Mangila’s paintings often reinterpret historic imagery and labor scenes to confront the intersections of colonial memory, diaspora, and social class. His 2023 solo exhibition Pastures of Plenty at The Drawing Room revisited the “Manong Generation”-Filipino migrant farmworkers in early 20th-century America-melding historical documentation with expressive, layered brushwork. His art frequently engages the visual language of modernism while embedding political and cultural subtext.

Mangila has exhibited internationally, including solo or group presentations at Frieze Seoul, Gwangju Biennale (2018), Vargas Museum in Manila, Tokyo Gendai, Melbourne Art Fair, and SEA Focus in Singapore. His work has also been shown at 1969 Gallery in New York and Reserve Ames in Los Angeles.

He has been a resident artist at Skowhegan, Yaddo, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and has received numerous distinctions including the New York Community Trust Art Grant, Agnes Martin Fellowship, and a 2024 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

As a faculty member at Indiana University’s Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, Mangila integrates transnational narratives and contemporary painting theory into his pedagogy, continuing to shape discourse on Filipino identity and modern art practice.