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Blackbutt timber
2022 Montalto Sculpture Prize Winner
Acquired 2022
Terestri Anenemi is a striking timber installation that explores the tension between organic form and structural intervention.
Constructed from blackbutt and positioned within an open pocket of the estate, the work invites visitors to move around it slowly, observing the shifting lines, patterns and shadows that emerge across the sculpture’s surface as the light changes. Its spherical forms sit low within the landscape, creating a sense of grounded presence and quiet momentum.
This work was winner of the Montalto Sculpture Prize (2022), earning high praise from the judges who recognised its craftsmanship, conceptual coherence and strong relationship to land, material and form.
“Terestri Anenemi (from the Greek, meaning terrestrial spirit) are intrepid. Free roaming through the wild forests of Tasmania, they have many an adventure. Sometimes they lose their way. Sometimes they sense our own wanderings; we too, have many adventures and sometimes lose our way.
Sometimes we seek respite under their ancient canopies.
Now and again when we are lost, we stumble upon them, we may find two together or a small party of three or four in deep conversation. Their seed pods will have ripened, and their many tendrils will have latched onto the forest floor. If we are patient, and respectful, we can hear their quiet, private voices. Their incantations can lift our earth bound hearts into flight with the Terestri Anenemi. Their anthems echo through the forest.
Keep an eye out for them in your own wanderings and their good fortune will be yours. Their swings can loop us a full 360, and then some. This keeps us from getting too caught up in the undergrowth.
Rest with them.” - Marcus Tatton
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Marcus Tatton
Marcus Tatton is an accomplished Tasmanian sculptor known for his large-scale public works and installations that explore material, environment and the ways humans inhabit natural systems. Working primarily in timber, steel and reclaimed materials, Tatton’s practice reflects a deep engagement with ecology, community and place.
Tatton’s work frequently responds to environmental systems, forestry practices and the tension between natural cycles and human intervention. His sculptures are often monumental yet grounded, shaped by a strong respect for landscape and the lived histories embedded within material. His practice spans public art, festival commissions and gallery-based installations, united by an interest in storytelling through sculptural form, pattern and repetition.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Winner, Montalto Sculpture Prize 2022.
Recognised for producing major public artworks across Australia including large-scale timber works engaging with environmental themes.
Exhibited in significant sculpture events nationally, including Sculpture by the Sea.
Highly regarded for community-based installations exploring social and ecological narratives.
TATTON AT MONTALTO
Terestri Anenemi was created in 2022 and acquired for the Montalto collection the same year after winning the Montalto Sculpture Prize. The work exemplifies Tatton’s ability to fuse craftsmanship with conceptual depth, drawing on natural materials to frame stories about movement, connection and the unseen relationships that bind humans to their landscapes.
Set against Montalto’s rolling vines and open light, the sculpture feels both rooted and animate, echoing Tatton’s broader exploration of nature’s quiet intelligence.
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