William Versace

Composed from sea-urchin pigment and clays gathered in Kamay, 'Urchin/Erode' underwent a deliberate weathering under a stream of water at Kamay Botany Bay NSW, carving through its scagliola surface to reveal the strata beneath. Its cast pewter frame with crabs, seaweed, and urchin spines echoes the surrounding shoreline and materiality of the piece.

William Versace’s scagliola tablets merge natural and artificial materials, incorporating pigments derived from sea life and ochres alongside seaweed-cast pewter forms. Made through a hand-sifting process rooted in his Calabrian heritage, the works resemble geological cross-sections – layered strata that hold traces of time and environment. Many pieces are created in collaboration with natural forces such as sea snails, rain, and salt, reflecting Versace’s ongoing interest in relinquishing control to place and process.

Grounded in painting, sculpture, and installation, Versace’s transdisciplinary practice engages deeply with material technologies, botany, and environmental processes. Working on-site with local ecologies, he allows natural elements to erode, form, or imprint his surfaces, prompting reflections on human impact, the dialogue between people and place, and speculations of what our future artefacts will look like.