Sculpture

The Sculpture Studio at Monash has seen many graduates exhibit widely and work in the public and private art sector. The end of the year exhibition is the result of hard work during the year and the development of students visual language is seen in the context of their peers.

During the last year staff from other studio disciplines have participated in tutorials and discussions, promoting inter-disciplinary practices. Callum Morton was a visiting lecturer, whose public artwork sits prominently outside MUMA on the Caulfield Campus.
In the Sculpture Studio we have incredible facilities. The focus of exploration ranges from the object’s relationship to space, to its materiality, to the body, to architecture and to the site of the gallery. Whatever the materials employed, students are encouraged to develop conceptual frameworks for their ideas and this leads to exciting processes and development.

The work that you see on display ranges from traditional and formal ideologies that embrace the personal, the body, the art historical and the architectural to the collaborative, the relational, the domestic, to wider cultural influences, with some students working within the space between two different markers. Often historical materials are combined with a contemporary focus.

Professional Practice is developed throughout the year with a greater awareness of the how to display work through its presentation in weekly group tutorials in the project spaces. The process of presenting work culminates, at this time, in this catalogue and exhibition.
The studio aims to facilitate a supportive and safe working environment where students are encouraged to also learn from one another. Different year levels are in close proximity from each other and a community is encouraged. Developing peer connections is of significant focus at art school because the artists run spaces set up in Melbourne are often a development from groups of artists having studied together.

Making work requires immersion, passion, dedication, patience, skill, ideas, persistence and information. An immersion in the looking at contemporary art in Melbourne is strongly encouraged. There is a contemporary art community existing on campus with the opening of the new MUMA, Monash University Museum of Art. This is combined with the student community and the activities that take place around the Runt space, a gallery for students to show their work to a broader audience on campus.

As staff in the sculpture studio, we are all professional artists with our own exhibition history and unique focus. Students are encouraged to enthusiastically embrace the process of making work, to develop ideas from what they are inspired by or want to learn more about. Historical and recent history examples of other artists working in this field are constantly referred to.

Thank you to the staff for their commitment to the student’s development of their work. They are Cate Consadine, Jon Eiseman, Alex Lyne, Nick Mangan, Spiros Panigirakis and Dr Dan Wollmering. Les Kossatz, previously part of the Sculpture Studio, sadly passed away this year.

We are grateful for the support of the sponsors whose sponsorship allows students to be recognized for their work and talents and celebrates their achievements. These donations make a difference and enable the awarded graduates to do things they would not otherwise be able to do. Thank you to Danielle and Daniel Besen, Barnes PTY LTD, Coats and Wood Fine Art Foundry, Econoweld Industrial Sales Pty, Ltd, Monash University Club, Palazzi PTY LTD, an anonymous donor, Sue Rose and Solid Solutions.

Dr Kathy Temin

Sculpture Studio