30 years of sculpting on display at Benalla Art Gallery

Published on 24 April 2023

Benalla Art Gallery is set to launch its latest exhibition on Friday 28 April.

Titled A Bird in the Hand, the exhibition features 22 timber sculptures and a small selection of related paintings and studies by established artist Mike Nicholls.

A Bird in the Hand draws on the artist’s work spanning 34 years, and focuses on ‘the bird’ icon in his work. For Nicholls, the bird and its associative cycle of life “contains many metaphors, such as reverence, earth mother, peace, conscience, and nurturing, with which to convey subtle messages within my sculpture and to explore the primal being.

I believe humanity is primordial at heart and with this in mind, through my sculpture, l strive to reflect world events that emotionally impact our existence.”

The title of the exhibition is taken from the well-known proverb ‘A bird in the hand, is worth two in the bush’ and its universal message: ‘the things you already have are more valuable than the things you might get’. The proverb epitomises Nicholls’ concern that in our continued race to tame the natural world we are losing the very things that we love about it. The exhibition reflects a shared social conscience with regard to the natural environment and “the collective impact we impose on our ecosystem and self, through ignorance or just wanton greed.”

Throughout his career, Mike Nicholls has carved from single pieces of wood to reveal his motifs, including the bird, and also diving figures, shields, hands, seeds, and eggs. Nicholls, now based in Melbourne, has strong ties to North East Victoria, with some of the works on display carved from timber he sourced from his former property in Violet Town. While residing in the region, he had exhibited as part of the groundbreaking Benalla arts festival, Australia Felix (1995).

Mike Nicholls’ A Bird in the Hand will be launched by prominent Australian arts leader, actor, director and theatre founder, Mr Carrillo Gantner AC, at 6pm Friday 28 April. The exhibition continues until Sunday 18 June.

Mike Nicholls will also present an artist talk as part of Benalla Art Gallery’s regular First Mondays event series, 10am Monday 1 May.

Image credit: Mike NICHOLLS, Captive 2010, Yellow box with iron oxide, patina and paint, 33 x 46 x 20 cm