Discovering finger painting at the age of three was the beginning of a life-long obsession with all things creative for Kathy Allam. Eventually this led to diplomas from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the Central Institute of Technology, Perth in 2012.
Her deep love of nature and the environment was kindled early during Sunday afternoon rambles through the rugged Grampians National Park, in central Victoria with her four brothers and parents. This affinity is expressed in her current body of work where she explores her desire that we create a more sustainable future by repurposing and revaluing items that are commonly discarded. For the past four years she has been working intensely with recycled plastic drink bottles creating “The Green Dream” series. Transparent bottle bases transform as the individual units are amassed by the thousands into large, free-flowing cloud forms. For her the clouds are a metaphor to express hopes, dreams and desires.
Kathy Allam is best known for her ethereal cloud sculptures and installations, featured in numerous exhibitions and public spaces over the past five years. Most notably her work has been shown five times at Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe, Western Australia and twice at Bondi, New South Wales. In 2016 her immersive solo exhibition “The Strange Familiar” was presented at Art Laab, The University of Western Australia’s experimental art space. People described the experience as dream like and comments such as, “I love it when someone takes something so basic and turns it into something so beautiful.” were frequent.
Her work has widespread appeal, with major awards including Melville Sculpture Walk, Castaways and “Kid’s Favourite” at Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe in 2013. Her work is held in the collections of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, North Metropolitan Institute of TAFE, and many private collections.In 2015 she was offered a studio residency through Fremantle Arts Centre, which has been extended to a permanent studio.
She is currently enjoying a 3-month residency at Heathcote, capturing the essence of the Dream Clouds in paint and photographing them in the landscape. In addition to continually developing forms, lighting and installations, Allam is exploring the possibilities of projecting images onto the clouds, and casting sculptures from recycled plastic, ceramics and other materials.
She enjoys living in Perth, Western Australia, which is famous for being the world’s most isolated capital city. She describes it as like living on an island – bound by the vast desert and the majestic Indian Ocean. Living close to the beach means the sea and its vulnerablities are never far from her mind. When Allam is not in her studio she is happiest pottering in the garden with her husband, cat and dog, reading a book, relaxing with friends or going on an adventure.
