IIW welded art exhibition, 2021

MIKE VAN DAM (Australia)

Artist and Stainless Steel Welder Mike (Michael) Van Dam was born in New Zealand and lives in Queensland, Australia with his wife and two children and is a world-renowned stainless-steel sculptor. Mike is an award-winning and internationally recognized artist who has a strong background in creating iconic and important sculptures that have been placed all over the world and have attracted various prestigious artistic awards. Mike’s sculptures have been placed in central iconic locations such as Sydney Harbour, Hayman Island, Israel and Greece. Mike creates highly aesthetic artwork and has been mentioned as “one of the most innovative and eminent contemporary realist and hyper-realist international artists” by the Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece.

Contact info E-mail: mikeyvan@bigpond.net.au • Facebook: Mike Van Dam Art • Instagram: mikevandam-art

Exhibit “A BIRD IN THE HAND” Delicate and intentional, the Bird in our Hand represents the dichotomy between unmatched human power and the fragility of our surrounding ecosystems. The bird rests gently in the open palm highlighting the profound responsibility bestowed upon humans and acknowledges the reality that preservation, environmental sustainability and development is in our hands. This concept of this sculpture captures the importance of the wetlands to the Australian environment. The wetlands act as natural flood mitigators and they also recycle nutrients into the soil, filter water and most importantly provide a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. This sculpture reminds viewers that we need to preserve and protect this important environment and the future state of the environment and little creatures, such as native birds, are in our hands . This sculpture was constructed from 10mm 316 marine grade stainless steel chain and consists of 2,300 metres of chain with 48 links per metre and 4 welds per link. In total the sculpture is made up of 2,300 metres of chain with 442,000 welds and took approximately 2,100-man hours to complete. Dimensions 6m long x 3.5 m wide x 3.5 m high

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