monte lupo, FIONA HAYNES & KIMBERLY OBERLIN
In 1991, the Monte Lupo Social Enterprise was created to provide a career path for people with disabilities who wished to be gainfully employed in an area encouraging creativity and artistic expression. Today, Monte Lupo studio employees over 21 artists with a disability, and 6 artists to manage and oversee all studio production. With minimal training, our Monte Lupo artists have developed a very distinct, individual, naïve style. The artists can express themselves freely through several medium including sculpture, pottery and painting. Monte Lupo staff find this freeness in the artwork visually inspiring and exciting. In these artists, one can truly see the infinite expanse of human expression. The Monte Lupo machine operates through individual commitment to a team effort – Creative Collaboration, collaborating to produce the finished product and all that entails from unloading the clay off the truck to the selling.
Stepping into the year 2024, one finds the once vibrant city of Gold Coast buried beneath towering dunes of sand. It is not a desolate scene; instead, an extraordinary alliance has formed between humanity and sea creatures. This mesmerising art installation tells the tale of human adaptation in the most unlikely of settings. Though the world has been swallowed by sand, the resilient spirit of its people persists. Laughter, literature, and the simple pleasures of life endure. Join us in unveiling this captivating narrative, where the human spirit remains unbroken.
Can you describe your creative process from concept to completion?
We wanted to tell a story. We got to thinking what could the world look like in the future. Would it be bleak? Would it be wonderful? Could it be both? Could an alliance between people and animals exist in a dystopian future? We decided at Monte Lupo, there could be.
Where do you look for inspiration? What themes do you find most interesting?
We love animals here at Monte Lupo and we wanted to create something that involved animals and a bond with people.
What role does location or environment play in your sculptures?
In our story of “Dunes of Resilience”, the ocean has receded and all that’s left is sand. But that’s okay as the animals have adapted to move through the sand rather than moving through water. We will use the sand on the beach to represent the pass of time.All of our sculptures are made for long term exposure to the elements.
How do you feel when you see people interacting with your sculptures?
Joy of course. All of us want people to feel the wonder of Monte Lupo’s quirkiness, magic and creativity.
Describe your dream project.
It doesn’t matter if it is small or large installation, our main goal is inclusion. We want people of all abilities to be included inany project. Getting the community involvement would be ideal as well, that’s why we love doing SWELL!
Come and see for yourself at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Pacific Parade, Currumbin 6th – 15th September.