ABOUT BENT METAL - DAVID WOOD

With a passion for art and design, coupled with a deep love for the traditional skills of the blacksmith, Bent Metal was established in 1993.

In formative years while studying mathematics, I found myself spending more than my spare time in the art department. At home, my grandfather’s anvil and hammers sat in the back shed. 

Upon graduation, I began three years of mentoring and formal training under Swiss German Master Blacksmith Bernhard Whurst, learning the art of the smith. Later, I worked alongside other sculptors at the Red Falcon studio, designing and forging.

After procuring a myriad of tools, tongs and a turn of the century power hammer from the decommissioned Newtown rail depot, I dusted off granddad’s anvil and moved the Studio to South Melbourne, housed in an 1890s bakery.

The last 30 years have seen commissions to create a portfolio of sculptural works for government and corporate clients alongside innumerable private commissions for the domestic market.

A regular finalist in national sculptural prizes, my current practice continues to explore themes of connection to place, nature, and human spirit.

See The Breakaway (People’s Choice Award winner) and All My Pasts and Futures (People’s Choice Award winner) for examples of my exhibition pieces.

Grandfather Wood