Virginia King - NZ

Virginia King’s sculpture celebrates life in the South Pacific and the complexities of natural forms. By abstracting and magnifying these forms, she draws attention to their fragility and the vulnerability of the Earth’s ecosystems. Her works are informed by mythology, history, science and literature. Virginia was awarded the Peoples Choice Award at Sculpture on the Gulf with ‘Matiatia Frond’ in 2003 and ‘Nautilus Whispers’ in 2007. Her 3m diameter sculpture ‘Sliver’ was exhibited in the inaugural exhibition of Brick Bay Sculpture Trail 2006 and her installation ‘Southern Nautilus’ was created for the Pacific Series at Pataka Gallery Porirua, 2007. More recently Virginia completed the David Lange Memorial in Otahuhu in September 2008.

 Installation statement

www.virginiakingsculptor.com

Gickmai Kundun - PNG

In 1976 Gickmai Kundun was awarded a scholarship to attend the Papua New Guinea National Arts School, Port Moresby. He graduated in 1978 with a Diploma in Fine Arts and soon after joined the School as an Associate Lecturer in 3-D Studies. He is one of several artists that have taken Papua New Guinea contemporary art beyond the shores of his country.  His sculptures have been exhibited all over the world including sculptures like the PNG Coat of Arms at the National Sports Centre in Port Moresby. Most recently as this year, Gickmai was commissioned to complete several landmark sculptures which are located throughout the City of Port Moresby.

 Gickmai’s Floating Land Installation

 www.thegallerypng.com

Eric Natuoivi - Vanuatu

Eric Natuoivi, born in Matangi Village on the island of Futuna, is the Principal of Vanuatu Teachers College. His primary inspiration is Vanuatu’s traditional cultures, which he reflects in the creation of his ceramic pieces. Eric has exhibited in annual exhibitions of contemporary art in Port Vila, and in 1998 was invited to participate with 25 Pacific artists in Creating Together at the inauguration of the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia. In Australia, he has exhibited in Contemporary Art of the South Pacific and has represented Vanuatu in the 2nd Asia-Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery. In 2008 Eric and his wife Linda were invited by the Australian National University and the University of Wollongong as Artists-in-Residence.

Eric’s Floating Land Installation

Floating Land potters’ events

Aka - New Caledonia

AKA loves material when it is transformed, whether it is deteriorated or granted a new life. To her a piece of metal is primarily a mineral element processed by man which she can infinitely modify. The journey of Aka is explicit of her trip in the universe of the metal. Games of hues, finesse, delicacy, creativity to merge into the work of Aka who uses copper, brass, stainless steel, ferronickel, bronze and steel with talent.

Aka’s Floating Land installation

Yann Conny - New Caledonia

Yann Conny’s work is often inspired by nature, environmental and social issues. He has collaborated with artists from different backgrounds, in workshops, group shows and symposia. In 2006, he was selected, with seven artists, for the project “Minéraliés”. Yann, with his collective, exhibited in 2007’s Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi and Perth.

Yann’s Floating Land installation

Terry Summers

Terry Summers is a Brisbane based sculptor, mainly using waste cardboard in an environmental protest against deforestation. Some of these cardboard sculptures are cast in bronze and aluminium for Urban Art Projects in a number of locations in Queensland. When not protesting his work is considered to be humorous and quirky.

Tijn Meulendijks

Tijn Meulendijks is a Dutch born installation artist now based in Cairns. After completing his masters training in floral art in the Netherlands, Tijn moved to Australia and established himself as a contemporary floral designer. This unique background, combined with his lifelong interest in botany has become the greatest influence in his practice. Moving beyond using flowers, Tijn’s works often feature other plant material such as branches, roots, leaves and seeds, sometimes in combination with other natural materials as sand, clay, charcoal, creating evocative ephemeral works. Since 2003, Tijn has exhibited works both in the Netherlands and in Australia, with recent installations at the Upholstery Contemporary Arts (Cairns), The Cairns Regional Gallery, Umbrella Studios (Townsville) and the arc biennial (Brisbane) being highly acclaimed by audiences and critics.

 

 www.tijnmeulendijks.com

Mandy Gunn

Mandy Gunn trained at Monash University and the Victorian College of the Arts where she completed a Masters degree in 2000. Her work involves the use of found materials, both industrial and natural and makes a comment on environmental issues. She has exhibited extensively in galleries and outside events around Australia and has been involved in environmental projects with schools, residencies and at Aurukun Community where she worked with women on weaving projects. She taught at RMIT during a 12 year period and has run Australia Council and Arts Victoria funded workshops over some years.

 

www.mandygunnart.com

Leah Barclay

Leah Barclay has been recognised as one of the most promising composers of her generation. She has received numerous awards, scholarships and grants and her work has been commissioned, performed and published across Australia, Canada, Europe and India. In 2008 her residencies included the BBC, IRCAM (the leading centre for electronic music composition and research in Paris) and VKV Performing Arts Academy in Kerela, South India.

To see what Leah’s Floating Land installation so far: www.ecosonus.com

Susan Coburn

Susan Coburn has lived at Lake Cootharaba for 15 years and during that time has been heavily influenced by her surroundings. She works primarily as a painter and teacher in acrylics as well as a mixture of media. Her art is essentially abstract expressionism but the feel of the water and dominating horizon play a large part in the composition of the works. She has exhibited in Hong Kong, Brisbane, and locally and was involved in the building of the kilns in the last Floating Land.

Tamara Kirby & Corrie Wright

Tamara Kirby has been working in the Community Arts sector for over 10 years, in national and international festivals and signature events, in the capacity of consultation, facilitation, concept development, design, construction and performance. Through her work as a Community Artist, she confronts and examines social and political issues. She encourages exploration of these issues by creating a forum for community voice, while reflecting contemporary culture and history. With a diverse range of experience in the mediums of sculpture, printmaking, shadow theatre imagery and installations, she is able to enhance her art practice on many levels.

Corrie Wright works in a diversity of forms and processes that reflect a strong relational role for art. Applying different media elements such as painting, sculpture, multi-media, printmaking and artist books, Corrie’s work is very much concerned with interaction, collaboration and process. Her concepts are grounded in all forms but tend to be a cross-development of ideas, concepts and content. This is also reflected in the constant movement between exhibitions, site specific, installation, collaborative working relationships and performance.

 

http://tkirbycwright.blogspot.com/

Liana Volpe

Liana Volpe was always interested in art, following several directions in her life. She has a Diploma in Fine Arts and Ceramics, as well as a Diploma in Fashion Design. Liana enjoys working with all mediums, but drawing has always been her first passion. She has developed and used her own clay from the area of Cootharaba, where she has lived for the past 14 years.

Floating Land potters’ events

Phyl Williams

Phyl Williams has over thirty five years of art practice, including studies in studio ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and weaving. Her art explores the natural world expressed in fibre art and sculpture, for which she has won awards, and lately with photography. Her art has been shown in galleries in most states and is in private and public collections here and overseas.

Ellen Appleby

Ellen Appleby is a ceramic artist based in Noosa. She was one of the artists involved in the inaugural “Firings by the Lake” at Boreen Point during Floating Land 2007. For many years she was an environmental educator working with primary school children and her passion for combining art and the environment began then. As a ceramicist she finds the powerful combination of earth, air, fire and water is at the same time mysterious, challenging, rewarding, and never dull!

Richard Newport

After gaining a Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours in furniture design at the University of Tasmania, Richard Newsport has had over 30 diverse commissions from large street sculptures to concept designs. His design for Nambour’s Community Adventure Play Ground received the Maroochy Shire Council’s Overall Golden award for building and planning in 2002. He has been a community artist for the past 13 years, spending the last eight years in Boreen Point.

Tony Grimshaw

Tony Grimshaw has spent most of his working life creating structures with pressed or extruded fired clay objects, and completed a Diploma of Visual Arts Ceramics in 2007. Now in his late 50’s he is discovering the art world he hardly knew existed, preferring clay to express any creative urges. Tony participated in the “Firings by the Lake” in Floating Land 2007 and has since worked at Quixotica in the Noosa Hinterland.