Event

Sculptures at Wadjemup: Yoowarl Koorl Djinang / Come Look See Exhibition

Visit this outdoor art exhibition and enter a space of peaceful contemplation at the Wadjemup Museum Sculpture Garden.

Overview
Artwork for Sale

Meaning ‘Come Look See’ in the Whadjuk Noongar language, Yoowarl Koorl Djinang is the newest outdoor art installation at the Wadjemup Museum Sculpture Garden. Each new piece is an exploration of personal stories and connections, inspired by the cultural landscapes at Wadjemup.

The place, together with the artwork, engages visitors to take time out for a moment of quiet reflection of Wadjemup / Rottnest Island’s history, heritage, environment, and the integration of art through life.

The exhibition of the seven new artworks presents both solo and collaborative projects by artists Beverly Iles, Alessandra Rossi and Andrea Carter, Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples, Phil Gamblen, Tom de Munk-Kerkmeer, Tania Ferrier, and Pavel Perina.

The artworks inform visitors of the power of art as a tool for unification, and a reminder of both individuality and collectiveness. Each of the pieces are for sale.

The Sculpture Garden is accessible to view 24/7.

New artworks for sale as part of Sculptures at Wadjemup: Yoowarl Koorl Djinang / Come Look See:

Construct (2023)

Artist: Beverly Iles

Commercial and wild clay, Wadjemup beach sand, painted timber

$1,500

I am interested in how the intentions to both protect the natural environment of Wadjemup, and increase visitor numbers to the island, can be reconciled. With a rickety, fluoro timber structure bolted onto an earthy ceramic base, Construct highlights the potential incongruence of this arrangement. The makeshift construction brings temporary shelters to mind; and the use of beach sand recalls making sandcastles, in response to memories of visiting Wadjemup as a child.

The Wadjemup Seedpod (2023)

Artists: Alessandra Rossi and Andrea Carter

Natural and synthetic fibre, stainless steel, glass

$7,500

The seed embodies the universe's blueprint, encompassing its beginning and end, representing life, growth, and hope. Like plants surviving hostile environments, the Wadjemup island's desire to heal from its traumatic past is depicted through a stainless steel and glass seedpod connected to the ground by a woven umbilical cord. The coloured glass emphasizes the seed's potential, while the combination of modern and natural elements represents the past and present connection with the land. This analogy highlights the island's journey towards healing and growth, overcoming its dark history.

Diving Buoy (2023)

Artists: Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples

Acrylic, enamel, marine plywood

Price upon request

For people of the sea, buoys and their colours represent a determined nautical language but to the everyday person, these beacons are abstract and playful forms, perched across the ocean. Wadjemup is surrounded by these navigational markers. We have anthropomorphised these marine markers to depict a boy diving into the water. We hope this sculpture on land will turn people’s eyes to the abundance of ‘ﬂoating sculptures’ that surround the island.

Island (2023)

Artist: Phil Gamblen

Steel, Wadjemup limestone

$3,080

Through its form and materiality this artwork references both the social and geological histories of Rottnest Island.  Ideally the limestone rock would be sourced from the island itself.

A Beacon for Lost Spirits  (2023)

Artist: Tom de Munk-Kerkmeer

Timber, steel, acrylic paint

$2,500

Not adhering to a specific religious framework, Tom de Munk-Kerkmeer still had to deal with the loss of his father who died in 1967.  As part of a belated mourning ritual, he visited Rottnest Island various times in early 2002. 

Tom had various experiences of making contact with spirits of the deceased on the island, enriching his spiritual belief. Can the spiritual knowledge of the Nyungar culture help us to become better human beings? For this work, Tom combines an array of influences from various cultures to create a beacon guiding lost spirits of the deceased.

Evoke (2023)

Artist: Tania Ferrier

Galvanised steel buckets, pole and paint

Price upon request

Evoke means to draw out something hidden. Buckets were used as food vessels and also to clean the Quod Prison. Frequently five or more Aboriginal prisoners were housed in the 2 m x 3 m cells. Buckets were used to slosh out the cells in the morning and in winter this often made them cold and damp which lead to the decline in the health of inmates and the spread of disease. 

Thank you to Stuart Bryce.

Always Was, Always Will Be (2020)

Artist: James Egan
Repurposed wire
$5,000
Always Was, Always Will Be is a reflection upon the history of the Western Australian coastline, which has provided for Noongar peoples and supported survival. The coastline was also the site of arrival for the British, who then went on to transport Aboriginal peoples from across the state to Wadjemup, to be imprisoned and is also home to the unmarked graves of over 350 Aboriginal men. Wadjemup is a place of great cultural importance for Noongar people, a place where spirits travel after death. The artist asks us to consider the complex history of the island.

Please note this sculpture is located at Heritage Common, near the Wadjemup Museum for Children.

Wadjemup Statue