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Cast aluminium, gold leaf
250 x 90 x 20cm
2009 Montalto Sculpture Prize Winner
Acquired 2009
Figure in Landscapeis a solid line drawing of a female form where the landscape becomes the paper. The half rendered figure melds with and frames the background, emphasising the power and fecundity of nature. Suspended lightly within the environment, it shifts character with changes in light, season and water level.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ewen Coates
Ewen Coates is an Australian sculptor whose practice explores the boundary between the human figure and abstracted linear form. Working across cast metals and fabricated structures, his sculptures often appear as drawings lifted into three dimensional space, reducing the figure to its most essential lines while maintaining expressive clarity.
Coates’ work frequently engages with gesture, containment and the relationship between the human form and the environment. His sculptures sit between figuration and abstraction, using silhouette, implied volume and flowing contours to create a sense of movement and emotional presence. Materials such as aluminium allow the works to withstand outdoor conditions while interacting sensitively with light and shadow. Themes of identity, renewal and the connection between body and place recur throughout his practice.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Long standing contemporary sculptural practice exhibiting throughout Australia
Works that merge drawing and sculpture through simplified linear figuration
A recognised body of outdoor and site responsive sculptures
Winner of the 2009 Montalto Sculpture Prize for Figure in Landscape
COATES AT MONTALTO
Figure in Landscape was created in 2009 and entered the Montalto collection as the winning work of that year’s Sculpture Prize. The piece reflects Coates’ broader practice of distilling the human figure into elegant, continuous lines that both occupy and frame space.
Positioned within the wetlands on the estate, the sculpture becomes part of the landscape itself, its reflective aluminium and gold leaf surface echoing the changing tones of water, vegetation and sky.
FURTHER INFORMATION
