SCULPTURE COLLECTION

Margel Hinder

Interlock 1979

Gift of an anonymous donor, 1981

Though it is fundamentally a simple arrangement of three interlocking circular shapes, Interlock has a very strong presence and commands the open space where it is placed; the visual possibilities of the asymmetrical arrangement seem endlessly fascinating. Originally fabricated by Keith Jackson in Sydney in 1979 from Hinder’s small maquette of 1973, the sculpture was very skilfully restored in 2015 by Ben Fasham, Melbourne, with stainless steel replacing the rusted steel bolts. When she arrived in Australia at the age of 28, Margel Hinder already had first-hand knowledge of modernist sculptors such as Brancusi, Gabo and Pevsner from her studies in New York. Yet interestingly, her fascination with local timbers led her to produce abstracted forms of birds, animals and numerous depictions of the human figure. Then by the late 40s, she was designing elegant and totally abstract forms, using a range of materials new to sculpture in Australia, such as Monel metal, delicate fuse wire, copper wire and Perspex. It seems entirely appropriate that her sculpture should now be situated in front of the building housing the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. In contrast with these works produced in her studio, Hinder also received a number of major commissions for large-scale, outdoor sculptures in Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle and Adelaide, but regrettably, none in Melbourne. Deakin University is extremely fortunate to have acquired this excellent example by an artist who was one of the first modernist sculptors in Australia.

Ken Scarlett OAM

Deakin University Sculpture Walk Brochure 2016.

More information on the University Sculpture Walk can be found on line through the Deakin University Art Gallery website at deakin.edu.au/art-collection

Inge King

Shinjuku 1975

Gift of the artist, 1992

Melbourne Burwood Campus

Opposite:

Melbourne Burwood Campus

Melbourne Burwood Campus

Adrian Mauriks

Compilation 2003

Gift of the artist, 2007

Opposite: Melbourne Burwood Campus

Augustine Dall’Ava

Distilled Knowledge 2000

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Geelong

Peter Taylor

Morning at Stanwell Park 1979

Opposite: Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus

Peter Blizzard Optima 1998

Karen Casey

Standing Wave 2002

Constructed from stainless steel and bluestone the fluidity of this work belies its true nature. A standing wave is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as the periodic disturbance in a medium resulting from the combination of two waves of equal frequency travelling in opposite directions. Knowing that, wonder when viewing this work if the artist intended that reference due to the forcing of strong materials into an unnatural yet fluid shape or as reference to her own background as an interdisciplinary Tasmanian Aboriginal artist, who now investigates the connections between art, science and society through her Global Mind Project. Whatever the true message is behind the work it is a fluid beautiful sculpture which captures our imagination and attention.

This work resonates powerfully for me as multiple sediments of an exquisite rustle of pain, anguish, resilience and optimism. The tryptich-installation is the narrative of the symbolic displacement of colonisation through the act of emptying/emptiness; and yet also strongly tells/shows the continuity and resilience of Aboriginal family, connection, nourishment and Belonging. For me, the Coolamon is the craft of simultaneous reality – it is full of nothing and yet filled with everything. A timeless, critical vessel of Knowledges, Being and the originary Beginning itself.

The ‘final’ emptiness a beautiful pathos: smile with the tears of my Ancestors. We are here, they whisper. We hold you always.

Associate Professor Gabrielle Fletcher

Language Group: Gundungurra Institute of Koorie Education

Nike Savvas

Halo 2016

Sydney-based contemporary artist Nike Savvas (b. 1964) trained formally as a painter but is renowned for her immersive, largescale public installations in which simple, colourful geometric shapes are repeated to spectacular effect.

Halo was a commission for the Deakin University Art Collection as part of the Waurn Ponds Estate refurbishment in 2016. The work features 36 coloured discs of metallised acrylic, suspended vertically in a grid-like screen structure. The mirrored discs refract light as they move in a gentle motion stimulated by the natural air movement of the room, both taking in and reflecting back the surrounding environment in a state of random and continual renewal. The title of the work evokes an image of a radiant circle of light with divine and spiritualist associations.

A belief in the spiritual significance of geometric form underpins the notion of Sacred Geometry, which connects its mathematical principles with the force of creation, particularly as seen in nature. Geometric ratios also inform the architectural design of scared spaces as well as certain ritualistic practices and symbology. The mandala, for example, is often composed of a square and a circle, and represents the cosmos in the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.

Halo may be regarded as part of a lineage within both geometric abstraction and public art. Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich was a major proponent of geometric abstract art in the early 20th century. He created abstract paintings composed of elemental shapes, such as the circle and the square, arranged on a white ground. In his 1924 Manifesto of Suprematism Malevich stated that pure feeling in creative art was its supreme element.1 This desire to stir an emotional response in the viewer is also one of Savvas’ motivations for her work. ‘Colour has a primal effect on people…My installations are immersive and create an interaction with the viewer’s personal and physical space.’2

In the trajectory of abstract art, Suprematism’s close relative is Constructivism, whose exponents strived to create an accessible ‘art for the people.’ Public art is similarly socially motivated, and by definition, placed within the public sphere, outside the traditional gallery space in order to engage the incidental viewer. In this way, the art of Nike Savvas is idealist. Like the internationalism of abstract art, or perhaps rather, its non-nationalism, it is accessible to all, transcending borders, cultural and otherwise.

Emma Busowsky Cox

Former Curator, Deakin University Art Collection and Galleries Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Deakin and Graduate Certificate of Museum Studies, Deakin

1. K azimir S. Malevich, Suprematist Manifesto, 1924, reproduced at https://www. scribd.com/document/143287897/SUPREMATISM-MANIFESTO-UNOVIS-pdf, accessed 6 September 2017

2. J ane O’Sullivan, Artist Interview: Nike Savvas, Art Collector magazine, 18 May 2010, http://www.artcollector.net.au/ArtistInterviewNikeSavvas accessed 6 September 2017

SMALL SCULPTURE & ARTIST BOOKS COLLECTION

Penny Byrne is both an authority on ceramic restoration and an artist who deconstructs the same medium. Bold, confrontational and thought provoking, Byrne’s artwork manipulates mass produced, kitschy ceramic figurines to comment on the relationship between popular culture and politics. She highlights worldwide issues of concern, including political imprisonment, whaling and global warming, as well as challenging the actions of specific individuals, such as Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, John Howard and David Hicks.

In his essay for Byrne’s exhibition Commentariat at the Deakin University Art Gallery in 2011, curator and art historian John McPhee noted how Byrne constantly updates her work to reference the changes in the current political climate. Former US President George W. Bush’s “war on terror” has been one of many key themes that Byrne has focused on and the War on Terror Waltz (2009) is a more recent version.

An anonymous couple, clad in their finest camouflage and military helmets, dance uncomfortably together with a gun in hand and grenades at the waist. The gentleman wears a miniature War On Terror Service Medal proudly on his chest as a striking reminder that this “war” has not yet reached its conclusion. Together, the pair appear to move in circles around each other forever, proving that as Byrne herself once commented, “The War on Terror Waltz continues on and on and on…”

The whimsical nature of the original porcelain figurines, with their serene and sweetly vacant expressions, contrast sharply with their new attire and purpose as re-imagined by Byrne. At once confronting and humorous, War on Terror Waltz represents a fine example of Byrne’s skill in using collage to emphasise the dramatic power of small sculpture as a medium.

This exquisite sculpture by Stephen Benwell was the inaugural winner of the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award in 2009. Initially established with assistance from academic Ruth Rentschler, the then Chair of Arts and Entertainment Management, the Award was begun to support contemporary artists, promote closer links with industry and promote awareness of the University’s contemporary Sculpture Collection. Since it began, the Award has run annually and has now grown to attract entries from every state and territory in Australia and in 2017, six different countries. In the period since it began 1,688 different artists have entered the Award, many of them multiple times. As we move towards the tenth anniversary exhibition in 2018 we take a moment to acknowledge the winners and the highly commended entries and thank the many artists and industry professionals who have contributed towards its success.

Gerry Wedd

I’m Your Man II (cup & saucer) 1997

I’m Your Man III (cup & saucer) 1997

The Artist’s Book Collection at Deakin University provides an insight into the community of book artists in Victoria. The cross currents of collaboration between artists, writers, binders and printmakers means that there are often overlaps between works, as artists appear in varying roles in different publications. One may be contributing an image here and a text there, or their contribution may be more elusive but just as important. Ranging from bookbinder Nick Doslov from Renaissance Bookbinding to Jenny Zimmer in a multitude of roles, these artists have contributed towards the development of the medium of artists’ books through their work and example.

Book artists work with each other in different ways, imparting skills, knowledge, materials and inspiration to each other over time. The ongoing nature of collections of this kind means that whenever an artist’s work is included in this collection, it will also have a lasting impact upon future students and artists. As this collection grows each work held in it will have an influence not just upon immediate viewers, but also upon the history and development of artists’ books in this country.