Emily Floyd facts for kids
Emily Floyd (born 1972) is an Australian artist. She creates art for public spaces. She also makes sculptures and prints. Her family made wooden toys in old European styles. Emily learned how to use tools and machines from them. These skills help her create many of her sculptures. She has made several public art pieces in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.
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About Emily Floyd's Art Career
Emily Floyd was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1972. First, she studied psychology and sociology. Then she learned graphic design and traveled. She later studied metal working. She made large metal structures. In her mid-twenties, she decided to go to art school. She wasn't sure if she would study metal work or sculpture. The teachers told her she was clearly a sculptor. She believes her different studies gave her many useful skills. Emily still tries new technologies in her art studio.
She earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Sculpture in 1999. This was from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) in Melbourne.
Emily Floyd is now a senior lecturer at Monash University. She teaches in the Fine Art Department. Her research includes the history of play. She also works with others to create art. An example is her work Open Space.
Emily works in two different studios. She carves her sculptures in a woodworking studio at home. She uses the machines her toy-making family owned. At the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, she has a "clean" studio. Here, she makes paintings, works on paper, and prints. She often works 8 to 10 hours a day in her studios. After that, she handles the business side of her art projects.
What Kind of Art Does Emily Floyd Make?
Emily Floyd's paintings and paper works often use text. She carefully chooses fonts, colors, and how things are placed. These artworks encourage people to talk. They focus on many important topics. These include political, cultural, and social issues.
Many of her large sculptures look like wooden children's toys. Emily has made several public artworks in Melbourne. These include pieces at the Docklands and for the Eastlink Motorway.
- Kesh Alphabet (2017) is a digital picture. It includes a photo by Max Dupain. This work was shown at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
- Icelandic Puffins (2017) is a sculpture. It was part of an art show in Adelaide in 2018.
- Garden Sculpture (2009) is a sculpture. It is owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.
Emily Floyd has also been inspired by philosophy. She especially likes the ideas of Agnes Heller. Emily has Hungarian family roots, like Heller. Emily was drawn to Heller's ideas about how art helps society. In 2019, Emily showed Anti-totalitarian Vectors in Melbourne. She said this show was fun and inviting. It helped people, especially young people, learn about philosophy. The show had painted balloons with quotes from Heller. Heller once said that philosophy is like the Owl of Minerva. A large white owl with a lantern was part of the exhibition.
Public Art Projects by Emily Floyd
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Emily Floyd has created many public art pieces. These are often made after someone asks her to create them.
In 2004, Emily made Signature Work for the Docklands area in Melbourne. This sculpture is 4 meters tall. It looks both big and funny. It is made of aluminum and painted black.
Also in 2004, Emily created Public Art Strategy. This piece is for the Eastlink Motorway sculpture park in Melbourne. You can see it along the southbound road.
Far Rainbow was an art installation from 2014. The Heide Museum of Modern Art asked her to create it. A permanent outdoor sculpture called Abstract Labour was also made for Heide. The government helped pay for this sculpture.
This place will always be open was a sculpture from 2012. It was the first sculpture asked for by the Monash University Museum of Art. Emily was inspired by student protests in the 1970s and 80s at Monash. The artwork is a place for people to meet. It has sculpted letters that also work as benches. It was first at the Caulfield Campus. Later, it moved to the Clayton Victoria Campus. It is currently not on display because of building work.
In Sydney, Emily Floyd created Open Space. This artwork is in Curtin Laneway. It is next to a famous building designed by architect Harry Seidler.
Art Exhibitions
- 2019 Anti-totalitarian Vectors, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne.
- 2014 The Dawn, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Where You Can Find Her Art
Emily Floyd's art is part of many important collections:
