William Versace
Artist's Statement
William Versace is a contemporary visual artist whose transdisciplinary practice includes painting, sculpture, photo media and installation. Engrossed in the technologies of the materials he works with, each piece is highly conceptualised prior to its development, and is then created in collaboration with different places and environments. An avid environmentalist, Versace’s knowledge of botany and horticulture underpins his passion for illuminating the human impact on the natural world. Firmly rooted in place, he often creates work on-site with local biology, botany and wildlife, eroding sculptural forms with water streams dripping from cliffs or corroding surfaces using elemental forces. By enshrining organic processes found within the natural world, Versace calls into question the anthropogenic dialectic between human and place, exploring the lasting effects on the landscape as we know it and commenting on what our future artefacts may look like.
Biography
William Versace (b. 1995) lives and works on Gadigal land, Sydney, Australia. A multimodal visual artist, he identifies as a queer, first-generation Australian with strong ties to his Calabrian Italian heritage. He holds a double degree in Industrial Design and Creative Intelligence and Innovation from the University of Technology Sydney (2019). Versace has been represented by Curatorial+Co. since 2019 and has been a finalist in several prestigious art prizes, including the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize (2024), Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize (2023), and Sculptures in the Valley. His work is held in private collections across Australia.
