$1m biomorphic sculpture for city

A team led by expatriate Perth artist James Angus has won the state government's $1 million 'situate' international sculpture competition, with the winning figure to stand at the centre of Forrest Place in Perth.

The announcement is below:

The State Government has announced the winner of the $1million situate international sculpture competition which will take pride of place at the centre of the Forrest Place forecourt in Perth.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said artist James Angus, consulting engineer Doug Knox, lighting designer Peter Mclean and industrial designer Sebastian Adams had been chosen from five finalist teams.

When installed, their brightly coloured hollow-cast aluminium three-dimensional biomorphic form will be 11 metres long, three metres wide and 6.5 metres high.

A biomorphic form is a non-representational form or pattern resembling a living organism in shape or appearance.

Mr Day said the design captured the energy of Perth as a growing and evolving city and would be a sculpture that Western Australia was proud to own.

"The five-person jury had a difficult task with 202 entries received from 33 countries, but I am very pleased with their choice," he said.

Three of the winning team are based in Sydney, with Mr Angus currently working from New York. They described their sculpture as appearing to 'radically change in shape depending on how it was approached'.

Mr Angus said he was thrilled to win the commission as he had grown up in Perth and attended art school at Curtin University of Technology.

"I hope people like it, but I also quietly hope that a few people don't as it is ultimately more interesting when there's some sort of challenge at hand," Mr Angus said.

"The sculpture still doesn't have a title but will probably attract all sorts of names in the meantime, which is all part of the process."

Jury chair Margaret Moore said the panel was looking for a significant statement and believed this to be one of the winning artist's best works.

"It is a celebratory piece of art. Serious in what it achieves; has a fun presence and sophisticated in its realisation," Ms Moore said.

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the City of Perth was excited by the winning artwork, which will be a significant component of the City of Perth's master plan for the area's redevelopment.

"The artwork will have a prominent position in our city's premier civic place and be a defining place-mark that should evoke much discussion and debate," Ms Scaffidi said.

James Angus' work can be seen in the Collections of the Art Galleries of South Australia and WA. He is also represented at the National Gallery of Australia and the Sydney and Chicago museums of Contemporary Art.