Walking the fine line between abstraction and reality is a favorite pastime for artist and senior lecturer Dr Dan Wollmering. Working predominantly in either timber or bronze, these divergent media indicate the artist’s formalist interest in materiality.

Wollmering's most recent works reference the rich cultural diversity present within Malay society and respond directly to the Malaysian built environment. Inspired by his recent residency at Malaysia’s Rimbun Dahan Arts Centre, supported by Hijjas Kasturi Architects, these works continue his practice of working with lost wax casting. The resulting aluminium and silicon bronze sculptures capture a texturally weathered and complex character which reflects the natural and man made materials and surfaces present within Malay architecture. The pale metallic quality of aluminium suggests the dazzling surfaces of the country’s futuristic skyscrapers. Wollmering’s works convey the visual quality of daily life on the streets of Malaysia and with material sensitivity explore the common ground that can be found within the fabric of buildings and structures alike.


Dan Wollmering has been exhibiting at Flinders Lane Gallery for 16 years. A senior lecturer in Sculpture at Monash University, Wollmering is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most important contemporary sculptors. He won the 2008 Contempora Sculpture Prize, and was one of 12 sculptors from 11 countries invited to participate in the Ninth Guilin Yuzi Paradise International Sculpture Symposium in China. The only sculptor invited from Australia, Wollmering’s sculpture Surge One is installed in Shanghai adjacent to the new Contemporary Art Museum/Gallery.