Victoria’s favourite seaside community and treasure trove of cultural experience, Lorne, is again staging the iconic Lorne Sculpture Biennale (LSB), after a hiatus of three years. Under new artistic direction, the new look Biennale remains a free, curated event not to be missed.
Titled Spirit of Place, this year’s LSB will explore the deep connections to nature, history and community – place. Held on traditional Gadubanud land, the works will explore the deeper histories of Lorne by taking a deep dive into Lorne’s diverse and fascinating past.
Featuring 16 themed precincts from Point Gray in the south to the mouth of the iconic Swing Bridge over the Erskine River in the north, the invited artists have been hand-selected by curator Graeme Wilkie OAM. Owner of Lorne’s fine art gallery, QDOS, established in 1989 and a beacon for cultural endeavour in the area, Graeme has been involved with the Biennale since its inception in 2011. A long-term resident, Graeme has been involved in community life across many spectres and brings a deep knowledge of the essence of Lorne to the project.
This year’s Lorne Sculpture Biennale will feature a range of styles including performance art, soundscapes, interactive and kinetic displays, all with sculpture at its heart. All of the artists are renowned as award winners and innovators and all are well represented in galleries and private collections in Australia and around the world.
Spirit of Place will be at the heart of a program that will see other supporting cultural events including workshops, performances, film events and sculpture trail tours.
Artists and writers are also being called upon to participate in prize events long associated with the Biennale: the Ken Scarlett Award for arts writing and the SculptureSCAPE ephemeral art prize. Information for aspiring entrants is now available on the website.
Building on the support for regional Victoria evident following recent lockdowns, Lorne remains a favoured destination for visitors with a broad range of accommodation, fine restaurants, walks and activities on offer, creating an itinerary perfect for a weekend or midweek stay over the course of the LSB.
Founder and 2021 curator Graeme Wilkie OAM said “We’re delighted to welcome back the Lorne Sculpture Biennale this year after last year’s cancellation. This year’s theme – Spirit of Place – promises to bring us back to the heart of Lorne, its rich history and strong sense of community. A celebration of Lorne’s unique environment and cultural past, the Lorne Sculpture Biennale will highlight the individual and diverse styles of our 16 artists, via a world class cultural event in a beautiful and unique setting. There is something for everyone at the Biennale and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to Lorne.”
The LSB is a free, unticketed event that runs along Lorne’s foreshore. It will be in situ from Saturday 30 October until Sunday 21 November. For more information head to: www.lornesculpture.com and follow LSB on Instagram @lornesculpture.
The Lorne Sculpture Biennale acknowledges the Gadubanud people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we exhibit. We pay our respect to their ancestors and elders, past, present and emerging.
Curator: Graeme Wilkie OAM
Rebel, artist, experiential learner, mentor, community champion and fiercely independent, Graeme established his own fine art gallery, QDOS, in Lorne in 1989 after becoming disillusioned by the traditional art and gallery scenes. A supporter of a range of fine artists, Graeme is a long-time supporter and first-time curator of this year’s Lorne Sculpture Biennale. Honoured with an OAM in 2018 for his contribution to Arts and Sculpture in the area, Graeme brings a fresh vision and focus to the new version of LSB 2021.
Precinct 1: Tramway
Artist: Geoffrey Ricardo
An exploration of the timber industry and Otway Rangessawmills of old, Geoffrey’s work will celebrate the beauty of the forest and the timber it produced.
Precinct 2: Campfires
Artist: Karen Casey
An interdisciplinary artist, Karen will be creating a modern day ‘midden’- an ancient dump for domestic waste – harking to its site as an Indigenous camping and hunting ground. Adding a performative element during the opening weekend of the Biennale, audiences will be invited to contribute to her work – Reconcile.
Precinct 3: Port of Lorne
Artist: Stevens Vaughn
World renowned, Stevens has spent much of his life in Asia, and he holds a strong practice in Dao philosophy. The Throne of Potentiality is the ultimate symbol of power and will play with recognised iconography of nationality and identity.
Precinct 4: Golden Miles
Artist: Robert Hague
A sculptor and ceramics designer, Robert’s works will be used to recreate a found archaeological dig with a difference.
Precinct 5: The Ocean Road
Artist: Ryan F Kennedy
Entrenched is an experiential installation that will be an orchestration of performance, sculpture, land art, light and sound. An ode to the returned World War One diggers who constructed the Great Ocean Road on their return home, Ryan and another performer will reflect the daily tasks of various personas and will sculpt the landscape in memoriam to war.
Precinct 6: First People
Artist: Maree Clarke
A proud Indigenous woman who has been pivotal in reclaiming Aboriginal art practices, Maree’s work, Spoken Words, will be constructed using found natural materials to represent the number and diversity of the languages of the Indigenous peoples of Victoria, in this lightly treed precinct.
Precinct 7: The Point
Artist: Simon Buttonshaw
One of the world’s leading surf industry artists, Simon’s work – Theolithic: Mapping Memory – will celebrate the rich surf culture in Lorne. Using the rocks of Lorne Point itself as a sculptural canvas, Simon’s rock drawings will be non-figurative, amorphic and enigmatic – theolithic.
Precinct 8: Fig Tree
Artist: Clayton Burke
Located on the site of the former Lorne Surf Life Saving Club, Clayton’s work highlights the historical and social values of this important community site. Named for The Moreton Bay Fig that remains on the site of the original surf club, Clayton’s work will reference Lorne’s history as a prestigious and popular seaside resort.
Precinct 9: The Flat
Artist: Alexander Knox
Alexander is a multidisciplinary artist who is extensively represented in public collections around Australia and an esteemed winner of the Helen Lempriere Sculpture Prize in 2006 amongst numerous other accolades. His large-scale sculpture installation will be kinetic and create an imposing presence on the flat.
Precinct 10: By the Seaside
Artist: Gunther Kopeitz
Working primarily with repurposed timber, Gunther’s work will be dotted along the foreshore precinct. Reflecting the classic visitors to Lorne, Gunther’s sculptures will come to life, as they take in the sea air.
Precinct 11: Wild Colonial
Artist: Deborah Halpern
One of Australia’s leading and most recognised sculptors, Deborah’s work – Ghosts – will recall Lorne’s iconic Wild Colonial Club building of old. Utilising a timber construction, the sculpture will be enhanced by performance and projections each weekend. Another moving sculpture of Deborah’s will also be installed closer to Mountjoy Parade.
Precinct 12: Erskine House
Artist: Laine Hogarty
Erskine House - a sprawling guest house - has been at the heart of Lorne since the 1860s. Laine’s sculpture – The Sack Race – will celebrate aspects of the history of the house – an ode to the many tales held within its classic walls.
Precinct 13: Shipwrecks
Artist: Graeme Altmann
Inspired and drive by both his love and fear of the sea, Graeme’s Shipwreck story will develop within the space. Exploring themes of stability and change, the work will depict loss and displacement; what we salvage and what we scavenge, whilst referencing Lorne’s maritime sense of place.
Precinct 14: Golden Cypress
Artists: David McKenzie & Ross Dimsey
Joy Flights 2/6 will use sight and sound to create an experiential encounter while referencing Lorne’s history of engagement with flight. Prior to the opening of the Great Ocean Road in 1932, Lorne was difficult to access; with some visitors brought to Lorne by adventurous pilots. A celebration of history and development.
Precinct 15: Tea Trees
Artist: Carmel Wallace
Carmel’s work will be constructed entirely from materials collected on her beach walks and is titled Lorne Lode: Sampling the Core. Exploring the ramifications of place in terms of environmental awareness and ethics, Carmel’s work will feature sculptural works positioned on timber tree trunks; expect historic relics of Lorne’s past.
Precinct 16: The Estuary
Artist: Simon
Normand Simon is a multi-disciplined artist and environmentalist. Simon has mapped song lines with mob in Arnhem Land to help stop extinction. Simon brings his extinction project to Lorne – focussing on the Hooded Plover - to highlight the demise of this avian species in the area.
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