Linda Fish
The Tree Hugger
Unique cast Bronze (no edition) H57 X W20 X D15cm
I have used various materials, techniques and processes and often use the casting technique, making moulds which are then cast with cement, acrylic co-polymer or bronze. When I am not making sculptures I like to carve linocuts which I hand print without a press. This process feels sculptural and my images are figurative in form and narrative in rendition.
The recent crushed aluminium and cast polymer sculptures are comments on the use of plastic and chemicals in our environment, and in particular plastic that contacts food. Most plastic wrap contains a substance called DEHA, which has properties similar to phthalates components which are found in BPA plastics. Like phthalates, DEHA acts as an endocrine disruptor in the body. Studies have linked it directly to liver tumours in mice, as well as to asthma in children and to a wide range of cancers.
I crush the aluminium ‘by hand’ and then rust the metal. The polymer clay is cast from plastic food containers which have many patterns and then is attached to the metal. The implication is that the metal can rust and disintegrate but the plastic will remain on our planet forever. Sometimes I use polymer clay that has a ‘Glow in the Dark’ effect which implies the radioactive quality of the plastic. I am aware that it is a contradiction that I use this plastic material for my sculpture but have resolved that the need to communicate my environmental and health concerns justifies its use.
The bronze sculpture ‘The Tree Hugger’ is my homage to the environmentalists and the scientists who are trying to save the world from destruction.
My aim is to transform real-life events into positive artworks whilst highlighting the contradictions and paradoxes in life.
Linda Fish was born in Melbourne, completed a Diploma of Art and Design, majoring in Sculpture at Prahran College of Advanced Education, 1976-79, a Diploma of Education from Melbourne College of Advance Education in 1985 and a Master of Visual Arts from Monash University, 2007-09. Linda has held numerous solo exhibitions, exhibited extensively and was recognised as a finalist in the Lorne Sculpture Biennale. Linda works and lives in Yackandandah, a country town in North East Victoria.
