Clementine Stoney Maconachie

Clementine Maconachie is a visual artist based in Sydney, Australia. Her sculptural practice explores the relationship between material, form, and perception, with a particular focus on the transformation of industrial materials into organic, tactile structures.

Working predominantly with steel, aluminium, brass, and natural stone, Maconachie employs a physically driven process in which material is shaped through cold bending rather than heat. Using her own body weight as a primary tool, she folds, compresses, and manipulates metal into irregular, fluid forms that retain visible traces of force and resistance. This method results in works that challenge conventional associations of hardness and weight, rendering solid materials with an unexpected sense of softness and malleability.

Her sculptures are often composed as vertical assemblages or totemic structures, in which individual elements—varied in scale, colour, and surface treatment—are stacked into balanced yet unstable configurations. Surfaces are treated diversely: some remain raw, while others are powder-coated or finished with matte, chalk-like pigments, further emphasising contrasts between weight and lightness, permanence and fragility.

In recent works, Maconachie has expanded her material vocabulary to include Hebel, an aerated concrete typically used in construction. Carved and hand-sanded into softened, irregular forms, these elements are integrated into her sculptural language, extending her ongoing investigation into how dense, structural materials can be reconfigured into objects that appear provisional, responsive, and human in scale.

Central to Maconachie’s practice is an intuitive and process-led approach. While guided by an initial conception, her works evolve through direct engagement with material, allowing chance, resistance, and physical interaction to shape the final form. The resulting sculptures occupy a space between control and improvisation, where industrial matter is reimagined through gesture, balance, and touch.