Outdoor Sculpture

Ewa Pachucka, Fossilised Architectural Landscape, 1986-88, carved sandstone

Parliament House Art Collection

The courtyards and open spaces of Parliament House display over thirty outdoor sculptures from the Parliament House Art Collection. The integration of sculpture into the landscape of Parliament House was a feature of Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp’s concept for these spaces, intended to enrich their environment and encourage their use.

The sculptures are in a wide range of styles and mediums. Some of the sculptures were commissioned with particular locations in mind, such as Ewa Pachucka’s Fossilised Architectural Landscape (1986-88) which is located near the House of Representatives chamber. The carved sandstone sculpture represents the rhythmic flow of natural forms.

Akio Makigawa, IV, 1998, marble

Parliament House Art Collection

Other sculptures have been purchased and appropriately placed. The Akio Makigawa sculpture IV (1998) was purchased in 1998, and various sites considered before it was installed in the House Lobby northern courtyard. It is made from Carrara marble and combines eastern and western cultural influences into graceful statuesque forms.

Howard Taylor, Compass and Perspective, 1989, timber and stainless steel

Parliament House Art Collection

There are also several outdoor sculptures that were presented to the Parliament as gifts. For instance, in the House of Representatives formal gardens is Compass and Perspective (1989), by artist Howard Taylor, a gift from the state and people of Western Australia. Made from steel and tuart timber, the work plays on the opposites of organic and inorganic materials, as well as the visual tension of the design.