Denese Oates is a sculptor who uses various materials and compositions to explore the delicate equilibrium between stability and fragility, permanence and transience within our natural world. Her sculptures range in scale from delicate wall sculptures to robust pieces of corten steel, richly rusted to give the appearance that they are part of the landscape in which they sit. Having worked with the malleable potential of paper in her earlier career, Denese now uses metal, in particular copper and corten steel to mould her abstract creations. Recently she has been using gypsum cement to fabricate imagined boulder shapes inspired by treks through the Goldfields Track in Victoria and the Kimberley region of north-west Australia. These boulders are then adorned with powdered metal, typically copper or iron, and treated with patinas to achieve an oxidised effect. Denese’s choice of materials creates a dichotomy between the durability of her pieces and the transient and fragile subject matter that she depicts; “These complex narratives resonate with contemporary concerns over the dynamic between order and chaos, offering my unique perspective on the ambiguities, subtleties and dichotomies inherent in visual language.”
Based in Sydney, Denese Oates studied at the Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education in Sydney (now College of Fine Art, UNSW) and has been exhibiting for over four decades. She is a regular finalist in awards including the North Sydney Art Prize and one of her large scale sculptures, ‘Spiral Knot’ was included in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in 2022. Denese regularly travels throughout Australia and around the world, exploring remote geographical locations which further inform her practice. Her work is represented in many collections including Parliament House, Artbank, University of New South Wales, Christchurch City Collection (NZ) and many Australian regional galleries.
