Leading contemporary Australian sculptor Alex Seton will present a major new installation, Paper Flotilla, at Jan Murphy Gallery in November 2015.

Working primarily in marble, Seton skillfully produces realistic sculptures and installations that consider complex concerns facing society. Following on from last year’s major installation, Someone died trying to have a life like mine, commissioned for the 2014 Adelaide Biennial, this new body of work will continue to explore the issues facing asylum seekers. Seton’s exploration of this issue began in 2013 and was further developed in his 2014 touring exhibition, Last Resort, presented at McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, Linden New Art and Rockhampton Regional Gallery in 2014/2015.

Paper Flotilla reminds viewers that behind this highly politicised issue, there are individual lives being risked, and that seeking asylum is about the fundamental right to aspire to a better life. In January of 2015 the Australian government announced that 15 boats containing 429 asylum seekers have been turned back under Operation Sovereign Borders, yet in reality this number could be much greater as they refuse to disclose ‘on water’ matters. The upcoming exhibition will feature a multitude of marble boats in a large-scale installation, which will pervade the gallery space and engulf viewers in a sensitive tribute.

Seton has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally, with his work held in numerous collections, including Artbank, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Australian War Memorial, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, HBO Collection and the National Gallery of Australia.