Australian Male

Australian Male, 2005
Bronze, unique
approximately 30 cm high

When I made Australian Male, I was thinking about the small ancient Greek bronze figures I had seen in museums. I was drawn to their intimacy and their object like scale. These were figures made to be encountered closely rather than as monuments, and I liked the extraordinary presence they could have despite their size.

I wanted Australian Male to have something of that same directness. He simply stands, one hand at his hip, his weight shifting slightly through the body. There is nothing heroic about the pose. He is an ordinary contemporary man, but presented in a form that reaches back to a much older sculptural tradition.

The marks of modelling remain visible across the bronze, giving the surface a physical, worked quality rather than a polished finish.

© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)