A new opportunity for everyday engagement with art

Pablo Picasso

The Sculpture Walk at Melbourne Grammar School positions art as a sophisticated means of communication that can transform the way we think about our lives. The Sculpture Walk also underscores the important tension between tradition and modernity that we celebrate as part of our School culture. It reminds us that art can comfortably exist outside the confines of a gallery, and that contemporary public sculpture which questions, provokes and entices our senses can comfortably fit within a landscape that is also home to the historic bluestone site.

The latest installation, Ape Right Hand, created by Melbourne-based artist, Lisa Roet, was recently unveiled to the School community in May 2023. It serves as a powerful form of expression, enabling students to foster creativity, explore and communicate their thoughts, emotions, and perspectives in a unique and personal way.

Central to Lisa Roet’s work is the exploration of the human-animal interconnection, specifically focusing on the inherent traits and shared evolutionary history between humans and primates. Lisa aims to foster empathy and awareness of our interconnectedness with the natural world, rather than being “kept separate to nature”.

By blurring the lines between species, she sparks reflection on not only our shared evolutionary history, but also the ethical considerations surrounding our treatment of animals.

Further, contemporary art possesses a distinctive ability to convey ideas in a manner that transcends traditional verbal communication. At a recent lecture given to students by Lisa at Motor Works, surrounded by her largescale charcoal drawings and bronze cast sculptures of primate hands, she quite aptly mentioned that ‘the brain is a muscle’, suggesting that just as muscles require regular exercise to develop, the brain also needs continuous engagement and exposure to new stimuli to expand its capacity for understanding and interpretation.

The brain-muscle analogy, in the context of contemporary sculptures, highlights that repeated exposure to artworks that convey ideas beyond words allows the brain to become more adept at interpreting and decoding visual symbolism.

Through the Sculpture Walk, art emerges as a powerful medium that transcends verbal boundaries, weaving a tapestry of ideas through strokes of colours, sculpted forms, and evocative imagery.

This article was written by Rudransh Kohli, Year 9.

About the Sculpture Walk

The Sculpture Walk comprises outdoor locations across the School’s South Yarra campus which house significant and diverse sculptures by contemporary artists.

Ultimately the Walk will comprise a series of artworks, each visible from another. The aim of the Sculpture Walk is to emphasise the importance of visual art and contemporary sculpture, and to encourage people to move on an artistic journey across the campus.

The first commission for the Sculpture Walk was Cover Up # 18 by Callum Morton (OM 1982). The second, Ape Right Hand, by Lisa Roet, was recently unveiled. It is located in the garden bed at the St Kilda Road end of the Steele Memorial Ground.

While not a contemporary artwork, Education, a sculpture by Lenton Parr, is also visible from the Sculpture Walk path.

If you are interested in supporting the acquisition of new artworks for the Sculpture Walk, please contact:

Chris Weaver Senior Philanthropy Manager +61

3 9865 7633 cdweaver@mgs.vic.edu.au

You can view a video of Lisa Roet talking about the creation of Ape Right Hand on the Melbourne Grammar School YouTube channel.