William Versace

William Versace is a contemporary visual artist whose transdisciplinary practice includes painting, sculpture, photo media and installation. Becoming engrossed in the technologies of the materials he works with, each work is highly conceptualised prior to its development, which he then creates 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 creatures, eroding sculptural forms using 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 dialectics of human-to-place, exploring the lasting effect on the landscape as we know it and commenting on what our future artefacts may look like.

William Versace is a multimodal visual artist working from Gadigal lands in Sydney. Versace identifies as a queer, first-generation Australian with strong ties to his Calabrian Italian heritage. In 2019, he graduated from the University of Technology Sydney with a double degree in Industrial Design and Creative Intelligence and Innovation. Versace has been represented by Curatorial+Co. since 2019 and has been a finalist in several prestigious art prizes, including the 2024 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, the 2023 Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize, and Sculptures in the Valley.

Photo: Lu Deverall