The scholarship has provided me with the opportunity to further research the Japanese metal bending technique, Gyou-Tetsu that I had been introduced to on an earlier visit to Tokyo. It also enabled me to travel more widely to the USA and Europe and to once again visit the great museums, galleries and sculpture parks. Additionally the funds assisted in the purchase of some much needed safety equipment for my studio.

The Scholarship funds have also contributed to my studio practice and my ability to provide newer works for both the Inside exhibition at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2010 and to develop a larger sculpture for the SxS Aarhus - Denmark 2011. It gave me the opportunity to do two separate trips to Denmark and one to Japan to see a demonstration of the Gyou-Tetsu process in Kawasaki.

On this trip to Japan I saw the Degas exhibition in Yokohama and it was further enhanced by the generosity of my hosts who had organised an overnight stay at Mt Fuji where luckily the fog had lifted to reveal the wonderful view of its sloping sides and Lake Yamanakako at its base.

A short side trip to London on the first Denmark trip enabled a visit to the Royal Academy sculpture exhibition to see and get very close to two historically significant sculptures, Ghengis Kahn by Phillip King and Early One Morning by Sir Anthony Caro.

The second trip included visits to Washington DC, and a personal after hours tour of the Corcoran Gallery collection by an ex pat curator working there. It also included New York’s MOMA and the Metropolitan’s roof top garden to see the Caro’s on exhibition and later a visit with Lee Tribe, ex St. Martins, London who I had not seen since my time there in 1976/77. I also had a very hot but rewarding day, in the beautiful surrounds of the Storm King sculpture Park taking in the Mark De Suvero’s and later on the way to Connecticut some magnificent works by Richard Serra at DIA at Beacon on the Hudson.

The Scholarship has come at an important phase of my sculptural practice and I am sure that there are many experiences I have had in these last twelve months both sculpturally and culturally that will impact positively on my work for sometime to come.

Images courtesy of artist Michael Le Grand.

The Helen Lempriere Scholarship has contributed to improving my studio equipment, to developing my sculptural repertoire through the Gyou-Tetsu technique, facilitated travel both nationally and internationally and further cemented my profile as a sculptor.

Michael Le Grand
Sculptor,
Emeritus Fellow, Australian National University