Primavera 2025: Young Australian Artists

"‘I am trying to humanise a material that is historically seen as unforgiving, mechanical and practical,’ Augusta Vinall Richardson says of her welded metal sculptures. Here, the artist treats steel – typically associated with construction and industrial manufacturing – in a manner that embraces imperfections and challenges perceptions of solidity. She also questions the values assigned to specific materials, contrasting prized bronze with the more inexpensive corten steel, which acquires a rusty patina – a record of time and weather – when exposed to the elements. Vinall Richardson’s interest in materials reflects her relationship to place. Based in Naarm/Melbourne – a city shaped by the rigid urban grid at its centre – the artist’s works subtly challenge the order of built environments. Shapes sit out of alignment. Gaps allow the flow of light and air. Though geometric, her compositions bristle with a sense of instability and impermanence."

—MCA wall label