SHEPPARTON artist, Mark Niglia has taken home first prize in the people’s choice award at the Victoria Sculpture Prize held at the Port of Sale, Gippsland gallery exhibition.
His sculpture, ‘Yorke’ is a commemoration to all the horses and soldiers who fought in ‘The Third Battle of Ypres’ in Belgium during the first World War. Mark’s great-grandfather, John Frederick Yorke, was a soldier who was injured during the battle when an artillery shell exploded under the captain’s horse. The horse potentially saved the lives of both men.
Mark said, “I like to make things with a story in mind first. I need the inspiration and it gives me the energy to make something.”
“I never met my great-grandfather, but I knew well of how my grandmother spoke of him and how she felt about him.”
Mark creates sculptures from new and used materials, incorporating the energy of distorted metals, charred wood, and fragmented concrete to create emotional, imposing life-size structures.
‘Yorke’ combines dignity and poise with the strength and power that a horse possesses. He is sculpted from distorted metals in what the artist describes as a tumultuous yet organised way. ‘Yorke’ is one of a series of horse sculptures that Mark has created.
“I just love horses, I can get a lot of variation from horses, they have so many emotions and unique personalities.”
Mark Niglia has sculptures on display in NSW at The Roadside Gallery, Wollombi, and Winmark Art Gallery in the Hunter Valley, and his work ‘Pheonix’ is a permanent public display in Yinnar, Gippsland.
To learn more about Mark and his sculptures, visit https://marknigliasculpture.com
