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Hand-cut treated pine fence palings, steel
240 x 210 x 15cm
2019 Montalto Sculpture Prize Winner
Acquired 2019
Moonah is a free-standing sculpture composed of hand-cut fence paling panels stacked into a solid architectural form. One face presents as an impenetrable timber wall while the other reveals the negative silhouette of a coastal moonah tree, a familiar wind-shaped presence on the Mornington Peninsula. As visitors move around the work, shifting shadow lines and carved textures animate the illusion of a tree that appears present yet is materially absent.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kylie Stillman
Kylie Stillman is an Australian sculptor recognised for transforming everyday materials into refined, contemplative artworks. Her practice spans carved books, stacked papers, timber palings and architectural offcuts, treating ordinary matter as a medium for re-inscribing the natural world into constructed spaces.
Stillman’s work frequently explores absence, negative space and the way form is defined by what is removed rather than what remains. She draws from traditions of carving and mark-making, applying them to unexpected substrates such as books, plywood, and fencing timber.
Across her practice, Stillman examines the relationship between built environments and organic forms, prompting viewers to consider how the materials we rely upon originate from the natural world. The meticulous process of cutting, layering and subtraction allows her to create images that hover between solidity and illusion, presence and void.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Winner 2019 Montalto Sculpture Prize 2019 for Moonah.
Widely exhibited across Australia, with works held in institutional, private and public collections.
Known for pioneering carved-book sculptures and large-scale timber relief works.
Frequent recipient of public art commissions exploring environmental themes.
STILLMAN AT MONTALTO
Moonah entered the Montalto collection following its selection as the 2019 Sculpture Prize winner. The work reflects Stillman’s long-standing interest in using everyday construction materials to reveal the absent forms of the natural world. Positioned within the estate’s open landscape, the sculpture echoes the twisted silhouettes of local moonah trees, using scale, shadow and negative space to integrate seamlessly into its surroundings. Its quiet presence invites viewers to consider both the origins of the timber itself and the ongoing dialogue between the built and natural environments.
FURTHER INFORMATION
