The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Her Parts presents the figure of an abstracted female form, reclined in a state of semi-repose. This space offered by the curved edges of its forms, is at once a place of refuge and site of potential activation. The sculpture builds on the artist’s long-term engagement with female representation in the Western art historical canon, specifically modernism. More personally, the work is also informed by Mestrom’s physical transformation through motherhood – where a body becomes a space of shared utility, beauty and discovery in response to the needs of a child.

Experimenting with notions of monumentality, permanence and precision, and based in Sanné Mestrom’s broader investigation into art, play and risk, this work fashions abstracted bodily forms to advocate for playable sculpture in the public sphere. Sculpture that invites opportunities for self-directed engagement and interaction, as well as open-ended play for children is of particular interest to the artist.

Artist Biography

In the realm of practice-led research, Sanné Mestrom explores the integration, inclusivity, and interactivity of art in public spaces and urban design. The focus is on merging sculpture and the body to scrutinize art’s role in shaping contemporary interpretations of ‘play’ in physical, experiential, and sociological contexts of ‘place.’ 

Represented by Sullivan+Strumpf (Gadigal Country/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne), Booth C7.