CONTEMPORARY ART STOCKROOM James Parrett

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As an object-based sculptor, major award-winning artist James Parrett is known for his large scale geometric works constructed in stainless steel and painted aluminium. Through the dissection and reconfiguration of radial arcs Parrett explores the aesthetic potential of the circular form, which he finds offers endless new and ever intriguing visual possibilities.

'At the heart of my practice I'm inspired by the aesthetic potential of the circular form and what can be achieved through the dissection and reconfiguration of radial arcs. I strive to challenge and defy a viewer’s expectation, creating visual intrigue with shapes and the points of intersection between lines, shapes and curves. Being able to create a ridged form that conveys movement is the ultimate goal. I love the concept of a landmark - something that is grand and arresting from afar, something that's immediately identifiable, evoking both curiosity and conversations - something that presents itself on all levels and from every angle.'
James Parrett, Artist Statement 2024

Watch James speak about his winning artwork at Sculpture by the Sea

"Parrett is an avid skateboard rider who built his own skate bowl within his studio, observing that before each move a skater must first calculate the line or angle. These variable arcs further inform his pieces as does his other passion, surfing. ‘I’m not just mimicking the waves in my sculptures,’ he says. ‘Rather, I’m responding the power of the wave, how it has a peaceful energy at the start and then it turns into this explosive energy that nobody can control. It can go anywhere it wants to go and do anything it wants to do. And it’s the contrast between those two energies I want my work to have, often quite peaceful but they sometimes explode.’[2]"
Excerpt from Bowed Catalogue essay by Andrew Gaynor, 2025

Parrett completed his Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from Monash University in 1999 and undertook Honours at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2003. He was awarded the major acquisitive prize at Sculpture By the Sea, Bondi in 2018 and was announced as the winner of the prestigious Montalto Sculpture Prize in 2016. He has exhibited in every major sculpture prize in Australia and has completed many public art commissions, notably the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Memorial at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra in 2012, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Australia's worst maritime disaster.

He has been announced as a finalist in Victoria’s two most prestigious competitions, the McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Award (five times), and the Montalto Winery Sculpture Prize (eleven times). Most recently he has been included in the 2024 Swell Sculpture Festival (QLD), the 2024 Sculpture in the Vineyards Festival (NSW) and the Yering Station Sculpture Prize (VIC). His work is held in a number of major sculpture collections in Australia and abroad, notable collections including the High Court of Australia, Monash University, Morry Fraid Collection and BMW Australia. James first exhibited with Flinders Lane Gallery in 2007 when he was a finalist in the FLG Emerging Artist Award, Exploration 7.

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M-Fortysix maquette 2025
stainless steel and automotive paint
73cm x 85cm 65cm
$18,500 AUD

M-Sixtyone 2025
stainless steel and automotive paint
86cm x 67cm x 62cm
$18,500 AUD

M-Fiftyfive 2023
painted aluminium
100cm x 120cm x 85cm In Artist's Studio
$20,000 AUD

M-Fortyone 2017
stainless steel
59cm x 50cm x 20cm In Artist's Studio
$7,500 AUD

M-Fortyeight 2020
stainless steel
54cm x 90cm x 70cm In Artist's Studio
$11,000 AUD

M-Fortythree 2017
painted aluminium with stainless steel base
140cm x 140cm x 100cm
In Artist's Studio
$28,000 AUD

M-Fortytwo 2024
stainless steel and paint
142cm x 135cm x 90cm
In Artist's Studio
$26,000 AUD

M-Thirtyeight 2017
painted aluminium
110cm x 170cm x 130cm
In Artist's Studio
$24,000 AUD

M-fifty-three 2023
painted aluminium
140cm x 160cm x 150cm In artist's studio
$38,000 AUD

M-Fiftytwo 2022
painted aluminium with stainless steel base
160cm x 200cm x 100cm
In Artist's Studio
$38,000 AUD

M-fiftyone 2025
painted aluminium
104cm x 70cm x 48cm
$20,000 AUD