John Davis

John Davis (16 September 1936 – 17 October 1999) was an Australian sculptor and pioneer of environmental art.

Early life and education Born in Ballarat, Victoria, on 16 September 1936, John Davis traces the development of his work from the early wood carvings produced while he was a young man living in Mildura in the early 1960s.

Work An Australian exponent of Arte Povera, he famously developed a new mode of site-specific art at the Mildura Sculpture Triennial in the early 1970s. His most influential work, which was entitled Tree Piece, was made by encasing the trunks of several growing trees on the banks of the Murray River with, alternately, papier mache, mud, latex, coiled string, plastic cling wrap, and twigs bound together. The impermanent work was then allowed to weather and rot away. It was a breakthrough which led many sculptors to reconsider the fate of outdoor works, and whether the fabrication of art might in some way adversely impact on the environment.

Taking his cues from Aboriginal artefacts, Davis later became chiefly known for tender assembled works made of natural materials, including leaves and twigs, intended to highlight the fragile beauty of nature.

His sculpture, Bicycle II (1976), was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia.

In 1978 he represented Australia in the Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. In his final appointment Davis was Coordinator of Post Graduate Studies at the Victorian College of the Arts for many years.

Exhibitions 1973, 1–26 September: Place, Monash University Gallery