Artist celebrates love for natural environment
Published on 07 March 2022
Kylie Stillman’s passion for our natural environment has taken root at Frankston.
The Frankston City artist said her Manna Gum sculpture references the Coastal Manna Gum, adding: “The work is designed with the public in mind – a symbol of beauty and conceptual engagement that aims to unite the community by celebrating respect for the natural environment and hand crafted ingenuity.”
Ms Stillman described the artwork as a continuation of her artistic practice where forms were hand removed from blocks of materials to suggest presence through absence.
“This creates a respectful marker of nature and a commentary on the way it is coveted and controlled within our urban environment,” she said.
Ms Stillman’s Manna Gum was made from aluminium – a modestly scaled sculpture comprising of horizontally placed panels that on one side reveals a carved section of a miniature potted native tree.
In a style familiar to the artist’s practice, the tree form is hand removed (using a jigsaw) from each individual aluminium sheet. The form of the tree is based on the silhouette of the local eucalyptus species: Manna Gum.
Ms Stillman created the piece thanks to an Artist Project Grant of up to $4000 from Frankston City Council.
“My hope is that the work contributes to Frankston's reputation for vibrant street art and sculptural attributes,” she said.
The grant was distributed as part of the $9 million Relief and Recovery Package, which the Council created to help Frankston City recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arts grants are designed to help artists and those working in creative industries to pursue their passion while delivering culturally important work to the community.
Ms Stillman said: “I am excited to be able to share the completed project to a local audience and I feel extremely fortunate to live in a community that values creative industries and to receive support towards this project during such challenging times for us all.”
Kylie Stillman’s Manna Gum is now on display at Frankston Arts Centre until 19 March.
Kylie Stillman is represented by Utopia Art Sydney. For more details about the artist, please visit www.kyliestillman.com.