Clara Street Gallery
Clara Street Gallery is an intimate space located within the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School.
We aim to showcase sculpture exhibitions by students, teachers, guest teachers, and emerging and contemporary sculptors. Elena Murgia curates a varied program of both group and solo shows.
We also run a series of events throughout the year, including artist talks and special workshops by exhibiting artists.
Learn moreCurrent Exhibition
Simon Harris: Precarious
Opening Reception: Saturday 23 May, 4 – 6pm
Exhibition Dates: 23 May – 19 June, open Mon – Fri 9:30am – 1:30pm or by appointment
Location: 1A Clara St, Erskineville
Precarious is a collection of artworks inspired by Stonehenge and the craft of ancient builders and artists. Highly detailed graphite drawings capture imagined rock forms, in precarious balance to suggest stylised human figures.
The works express the primeval power and majesty of rock whilst their precarious balance hints at the vulnerability that lends such a human aspect to these figures.
About Simon
Simon Harris had a long career as an illustrator and lecturer before commencing his fine art practice. A Covid epiphany led him to combine two of his passions—the prehistoric art and structures of the Stone Age and the contemporary art of drawing on paper. He quickly discovered a fascination for balanced rock forms drawn in painstaking detail with graphite on watercolour paper.
His drawings have been finalists in several art prizes including the North Sydney Prize and the prestigious Dobell Prize for Drawing in 2023.
His curiosity for these 2D rock forms led him to experience the real thing at Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School, where he discovered the challenges and delights of carving marble. Since then Simon has created sculptures in clay, alabaster, limestone, bronze, and sculpting cement, although drawing on paper remains his first love.
Past Exhibitions
Margaret Fitzgerald and Nicky McGinn: Modern Interaction
Exhibition Dates: 2 – 16 May
Modern Interaction was a collaborative celebration of form, friendship, and the enduring influence of Mid-Century Modernism. Featuring the works of sculptors Nicky McGinn and Margaret Fitzgerald, this exhibition at the Clara Street Gallery explored the dialogue between two artists who have shared ideas and inspiration for over 30 years.
Both artists are long-term members of the prestigious Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School community. Their work reflects a deep immersion in the tactile, meditative process of carving and turning raw stone and metal into three-dimensional objects that capture inner peace and modernist elegance.