In a celebration of art, nature, and community, we are proud to announce the permanent acquisition of three evocative sculptures by renowned Australian artist Anna-Wili Highfield.
Debuting during the festive installation, these sculptures captivated audiences with their dynamic play of form, light, and energy. Now a permanent fixture, they transform public spaces into vibrant celebrations of creativity, inviting visitors into an inclusive dialogue about nature, identity, and interconnectedness.
Each sculpture is a masterful exploration of nature’s beauty and the intricate relationships within the environment, crafted with hundreds of meticulously arranged brass pieces.
Light Bound
“Light Bound is a composition of hundreds of brass pieces, forming a scene of moths circling a radiating orb. The spiral formation represents 'positive phototaxis,' the natural phenomenon in which organisms instinctively move toward light. This artwork explores the dynamic patterns that arise from the profound interconnectedness between living creatures and their environment.
In Nature Composition I
In Nature Composition I, hundreds of hand-cut, bent, soldered, and painted brass pieces create a vibrant scene of flowers, birds, and insects. The artist’s hand is evident in both the material and composition. While the native flower arrangement evokes a still life, the lively motion of birds and insects disrupts this genre, infusing the scene with life. The artist offers the bouquet as a gift to the viewer, drawing wildlife to celebrate nature’s bounty. Their arrival affirms the sincerity of the ‘gift,’ fostering an optimistic dialogue between the artist, viewer, and nature.
In Nature Composition II
Nature Composition II, the second in a two-part series, features hundreds of hand-cut, bent, soldered, and painted brass pieces that create a vibrant scene of flowers and birds. The artist’s hand is evident in both the materiality and composition. While the native flower arrangement evokes a still life, the lively motion of the birds disrupts this genre by infusing the scene with life. The artist offers the bouquet as a gift to the viewer, drawing wildlife to celebrate nature’s bounty. Their arrival affirms the sincerity of the ‘gift,’ fostering an optimistic dialogue between the artist, viewer, and nature.
The Visionary Behind the Works: Anna-Wili Highfield
Anna-Wili Highfield is an Australian artist living and working on Gadigal land, Sydney. Her sculptures are collected globally and have appeared in various publications, including the cover of Sculpture Review USA. Highfield has exhibited in Australia, the USA, France, China, Hong Kong, and Turkey. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The National Art School, Sydney.
Highfield’s works explore the organic qualities and resistance of materials, generating a tension between a complex realism of form and the limitations and economy of materials used. They represent life in an immediate way that conveys the energy, movement, and physical character of different creatures. She aims to engineer a moment of contact with nature, in a way that emphasises both the differences and startling similarities, of human and animal forms and consciousness.