Nicole de Mestre

Over a decade of Art: Est. 2013

Nicole de Mestre is an environmental artist, whose art reflects a curious attachment to discarded materials and a significant frustration with the prolific waste of modern society. Her objet trouvé work is sculptural and aesthetically experimental. She uses various methods of assemblage to create representational works with both natural and man-made found objects. Her ability to beautify discarded rusty metal and plastics and other items such at cord, ribbon and rope is unique and interesting.

Her series of baskets are created with extraordinary dexterity and patience. Nicole de Mestre is influenced by traditions and her recent series of basket artworks combine the technical traditions with the contemporary urban materials at hand. The materials and methods are complex and the results are sturdy.

Nicole’s extremely popular boat sculptures are created using a combination of materials washed up on the NSW East Coast shores along with more urban materials she has collected and prepared for use over the years. Her process of stripping materials back, cleaning them and then creatively sculpting with them opens viewers eyes to some surprising and beautiful ways of re-purposing the easily discarded items in our day-to-day life.

A multi award winning artist and recently this year a finalist in the North Sydney Art Prize, Sculpture@Scratchley and WINNER of the 3D division of Connections, 5 Lands Walk 2024.

Read more about Nicole de Mestre’s art here: LINK