small works

There, for a little while, had been this thought, this idea that had been slowly creeping up from the horizons of my subconscious, slowly marching towards me at a steady and non-intimidating pace. Well, reach me it did, and the planets aligned and the wizard's rainbow of my soul, the palantíri of my craft and resolve, if you will, resolved into visions that could not be ignored. So, I purchased some clay and I started sculpting.

I love when an idea for something becomes a series of that idea. I want to credit a lifetime of writing fiction for this desire, the lock-in of an idea and how it blooms and fruits, however, perhaps it is more-so a reflection of the processes of making music. Sometimes songs come to you a drop at a time, and over time eventually yielding a full bucket. Sometimes they come all at once, song after song, in quick succession, filling buckets until the tap runs dry, if it ever does. Really, this can happen in any art form, to be sure. A weekend, a week, a few months lost in the act of bringing something to life, in parts or all at once. That part is universal, I suppose. Uniquely, though, when this happens for me in the analog crafts, it is very exciting indeed. I love an idea that is bountiful.

Excited to share that I have some of this work on display at the @brunswickstreetgallery in Melbourne as part of the Small Works Art Prize - from 4 - 17 of January, 2026

I've only ever had my work in a physical gallery a couple of times, I believe. The first time was 20+ years ago when I had two portraits of mine in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia. The other time was 20+ years later when The Zium Gallery was invited to be shown at The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. This small selection would technically be the third gallery showing of my work, you might say. The opportunity, and the experience of being able to put together select work for exhibition has been a wonderful and incredible process. I'd like to do it again, and forever.

Exhibited as part of Small Works Art Prize · Brunswick Street Gallery (Melbourne) · 4–17 Jan 2026

© Michael Berto 2026