Maree Clarke wins $60,000 Melbourne urban sculpture prize for detailed glass renderings of nature

Maree Clarke won the 2023 Melbourne prize for urban sculpture for her experimental work in glass as well as the role she has played in nurturing the diverse art forms practised by contemporary south-east Aboriginal artists. Photograph: Eugene Hyland

A river reed harvested from Victoria’s Maribyrnong River in Boonwurrung Country opens up alternative universes for Maree Clarke when she views it through a microscope.

“You see other worlds, you see galaxies, you see your grandmother’s doilies,” said the Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, BoonWurrung/Wemba Wemba artist now living in Melbourne.