Artist profile

I have been in practice as an independent installation artist since 2000. Deep creative enquiry and research-based discipline underpin my practice. I have exhibited as a finalist in national, regional and local competitions and received grants and prizes from respected government agencies and art sector bodies.

Early in my career I carried out a number of large-scale commissions for public space, some permanent, some temporary. Now my focus has shifted to creating self-initiated sculptural interventions and ephemeral works of live art in public space. These are often collaborative, interdisciplinary, performative and participatory.

I am self-represented, a member of NAVA and have my home and studio in rural northeast NSW.

Download Lavarack CV October 2020

image: Louise Lavarack

Artist statement

My art practice is a spatial one in which I explore the seminal relationship we have with landscape and place.

The constant focus of my work is to orchestrate physical and imaginative experiences of place. I do this in a number of ways – by choreographing the viewer's movement through space; by tapping into experiential layers of place; and by harnessing the dynamics of weather, topography and human agency. I often use repeated sculptural components in sketchy or diagrammatic configurations to draw audiences through an interactive field.

By framing the participant as a universal figure in a metaphorical landscape, I aim to re-activate our connection with the physical world and to re-mystify our experience of it.

 

image: Louise Lavarack

The Iso-Walks Project

September 2020

I'm doing a COVID isolation project with two artist friends, all of us in separate locations. It's a series of walking works. On day one we each do a walk and document it in some form. On day two we submit our 'walk work' online and on day three we meet online for a group discussion/crit.

Repeat ten times.

It's a great opportunity to experiment and develop new ideas.

image: Louise Lavarack

Up sticks!

January 2020

Given that a deep connection with landscape is central to my art practice, I have long wanted to live in a place where I am immersed in open spaces and big skies, trees and birdsong. Out of the blue, good friends offered me the opportunity to do exactly that. Early in 2020 I moved both home and studio to rural NSW, basically the middle of fantastic nowhere.

The big question is what influence it will have on my art practice.

 

image: John Lavarack

Sight Line II

2019

Patinated bronze, polished stainless steel, painted aluminium

Dimensions variable

First installed at Frankston Pier in 2004, Sight Line became a much-loved landmark for locals and visitors alike. Sight Line II addresses the conditions of an extreme coastal environment while remaining true to the original artistic concept.

In 2018/19 the work was completely rebuilt to include upgraded materials and modified design details that ensure its survival into the future. As if to prove the point, a few months after installation was completed, Sight Line II successfully survived a major storm that slammed into the pier.

Commissioned by Frankston City Council

image: Louise Lavarack

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