Through the assembly of found domestic and industrial objects, Martin John Oldfield investigates the link between human attributes and mechanical gestures in his work. One sculpture might be a party-going assemblage, drunk and hell-bent on making noise; another might be quietly useless. Twenty years of experience repairing heavy equipment informs his technical approach to making; tinkering and shed culture are central to a life spent fixing things. Oldfield’s assemblages are punctuated with absurdity as punchlines while maintaining a dialogue with material histories and deeper existential narratives.

Martin John Oldfield holds trade certificates in Heavy Equipment, Heavy Vehicles, and numerous post-trade courses. He has maintained a creative practice across multiple mediums since 1995 when he first enrolled in the National Art School. Oldfield returned to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 2022 and a Master of Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 2024.

Martin’s work Stochastic Drawing was a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize #23; he won the YawWay sculpture prize in 2020 for his work Dunnage Till Now. Recent exhibitions include the Chronicles (Stairwell Gallery, 2022) and Spawn (Sawmillers Sculpture Prize, at McMahon’s Point)

Image: Jessica Maurer