The annual Sculptures Out Back Exhibition is on at Roma in the Maranoa Region in Queensland’s west and the artworks on show need to be seen to be believed!
Lining the banks of Bungil Creek at the entrance to town you’ll find a metal menagerie of steel drum bulls, barbed wire emus and hub cap kangaroos. Most of the outdoor sculptures are made using re-purposed scrap metal and there’s a unique story behind each one. Blayk Mansfield and Riley Bryen’s “The Migration” piece features five emus which were formerly a fence on a family member’s property. Graham Edmonds’ “Aussie Blow Flies” is made from a horse harness, shearing machine parts and old grape dip tins.
The event is held in June each year and offers impressive prize money attracting both seasoned and new artists from across the country. The Australia Pacific LNG operated by Origin Energy Acquisitive prize of $20,000 was taken out by Kyle Mansfield for his enormous “King Ranch” bull standing around 3 metres tall.
The same artist’s “Old Man Emu” sculpture won the Maranoa Regional Council Local prize of $10,000 and will stay on permanent display at Roma, which is building a sculpture park as part of an outdoor artwork trail drawing visitors out west.
The Roma Saleyard Acquisitive Sculpture Prize worth $35,000 was won by Dion Cross from Chinchilla for his “It’s in the Jeans” sculpture concept which will soon be completed and stand proudly at the entrance to the country’s largest cattle saleyards.
The Hall Chadwick Emerging Artist prize of $5,000 went to Cameron Wilson from Castlemaine in Victoria, for his sculpture “Percy the Pelican”.
The Roma On Bungil Gallery People’s Choice Prize was awarded to “The Outback Fruit Truck” by Guy (Slim) Humphries from the Gold Coast in collaboration with Roma local Grace Gray.
The Roma Wire and Steel Acquisitive Garden Seat Prize was awarded to locals Danny and Donna Sutton for their “Take a Seat with Hookie” garden seat, made to remember a well-known Roma character, mechanic Ronald Arthur Hook “Hookie”.
All of the sculptures will stay on display at the entrance to Roma until September so start planning your trip out west to see the phenomenal art. Or begin sculpting yourself ready for next year’s competition. Check out the pictures and details on Sculptures Out Back’s website, Instagram and Facebook pages.
