Madison McSweeney

I am an emerging visual artist in Naarm/Melbourne, making on unceded Wurundjeri Country. My research-based, yet intuitive, practice challenges consumption and waste by transforming discarded materials into sculptural installations. The parameters of my art practice are informed by almost 10 years of working in environmental policy and resource management, which motivates me to breathe new life into pre-loved objects, critiquing our cultural definitions of ‘trash’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘value’.

I am interested in finding beautiful and tactile ways to repurpose what already exists and my compositions are guided by an emotional sensitivity to colour, texture, and scale, transforming abject materials into creatures of beauty and confrontation.

Exploration of soundscapes, found metal, and performance adds an emotional and active dimension to my installations. I am fascinated by creating tension and balancing precarious objects in space, using scale to engage the viewer, evoking a sense of discomfort or eeriness. Often made up of various colours and shapes, my work invites play and the suggestion of an alternative, what if these objects came alive?