Muddy Waters is a sculptural work by Ingo Kleinert acquired for the Rotational Collection in the Parliament House Art Collections.

The sculpture exemplifies the artist’s interest in found materials, abstraction and his exploration of connection to the Australian landscape through materiality. 

Constructed from 36 panels, Muddy Waters offers a view of the landscape through the use of weathered corrugated iron – a material synonymous with Australia. Reflecting on the galvanized iron in his work, Kleinert observes,

these iron sheets become ‘a new material’ having vast applications on rooves and fences, going through a cycle of life and then ending on rubbish tips, the material is being returned back to the earth and further exposure to the sun, rain and wind…The differences in patina within the iron tiles in Muddy Waters is due to different exposure of time and the elements.¹

In 1995, Kleinert’s installation, The Eye of the Dog, was displayed on the lawns of Australian Parliament House. Containing 400 tin dogs made from weathered galvanised iron, The Eye of the Dog was a part of a wider program for the 1995 Canberra National Sculpture Forum.

Ingo Kleinert's The Eye of the Dog installation on the lawns of Parliament House

Ingo Kleinert
Ingo Kleinert (born 1941), originally from Germany, is a curator, educator and artist who lives and works in Hobart, Tasmania. His career in photography, ceramics and sculpture has spanned 50 years, with concepts of land, place and memory being continuing themes throughout. Kleinert has exhibited widely in Australia since 1975 and is a recipient of an Australian Council Artists Development Grant.² 

References
1. Ingo Kleinert, interview with Parliament House Art Collections, March 4, 2024. 
2. Bett Gallery, “Artists: Ingo Kleinert”, accessed March 14, 2025. https://www.bettgallery.com.au/artists/53-ingo-kleinert/overview/