Mela Cooke Sculpture
Mela Cooke is an Australian sculptor working in bronze. Her subject is the human body in water, and over the years she has built a quiet reputation as one of the more distinctive voices in swimming sculpture in this country.
Her bronze figures capture movement in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re standing in front of one. The pull of a stroke mid-reach. The compression of a tuck. A Mela Cooke bronze doesn’t freeze a moment so much as hold the feeling of it, which is a different thing entirely.
Her work sits in private collections and public spaces across Australia, and she takes on commissions for both. Each piece is cast in bronze and finished by hand.
For anyone looking specifically for Australian bronze sculpture with swimming as its subject, there aren’t many sculptors working at this depth with this material. Cooke is one of them.
Cooke’s deep understanding of anatomy stems from her background as a physiotherapist; she sculpts directly from clay during live model sessions, often working with members of the local swim squad. Custom commissions range from small tabletop bronzes to large-scale installations, with a choice of hand-applied patina finishes and bespoke plinths in marble, granite, corten steel or sandstone. Sculptures can be shipped and installed Australia-wide (Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Perth) and internationally on request.
Commissions and inquiries welcome.
Additional Mela Cooke sculpture is available through our sister gallery, ARTpark Australia — view the full collection at https://artpark.com.au/Australian-sculpture/australian-sculpture-artists/mela-cooke-sculpture/
Showing all 25 resultsSorted by price: high to low
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On the Break of Day – 160cm
$ 44,500 -
Halcyon Days – 1.6m
$ 32,000 -
Just Paused – 98x48cm
$ 24,950 -
Urban Botanica – 155cm
$ 24,900 -
On the Edge – 1.5m
$ 24,300 -
Kindred Spirits – 74cm
$ 23,000 -
Midsummer Night Dream – 160cm
$ 22,550 -
Into the Blue (pair) 68x30cm
$ 21,000 -
He Said, She Said – 72x27cm
$ 21,000 -
The Conversation – 39x67cm
$ 19,800 -
The Night Hunter – 45x62cm
$ 14,500 -
Swim Squad – 38cm
$ 12,800 -
Perfect Balance – 46cm
$ 11,500 -
Into the Blue – 67cm
$ 11,200 -
Time Out – 70cm
$ 11,200 -
He Said – 70cm
$ 10,800 -
Poised – 68cm
$ 10,200 -
Summer Days – 70cm
$ 9,900 -
Late Afternoon – 31x41cm
$ 8,250 -
The aviator and his flying machine – 45x16cm
$ 7,250 -
Polka Dot Diva – 28cm
$ 7,200 -
Waiting for the bean – 34cm
$ 6,880 -
Horse in hand – 45x21cm
$ 6,850 -
baby butcher & the bad hair day – 42cm
$ 6,200 -
Into the Wild – 48cm
$ 5,500
Mela Cooke is an Australian sculptor working in bronze. Her subject is the human body in water, and over the years she has built a quiet reputation as one of the more distinctive voices in swimming sculpture in this country.
Her bronze figures capture movement in a way that's hard to explain until you're standing in front of one. The pull of a stroke mid-reach. The compression of a tuck. A Mela Cooke bronze doesn't freeze a moment so much as hold the feeling of it, which is a different thing entirely.
Her work sits in private collections and public spaces across Australia, and she takes on commissions for both. Each piece is cast in bronze and finished by hand.
For anyone looking specifically for Australian bronze sculpture with swimming as its subject, there aren't many sculptors working at this depth with this material. Cooke is one of them.
Cooke's deep understanding of anatomy stems from her background as a physiotherapist; she sculpts directly from clay during live model sessions, often working with members of the local swim squad. Custom commissions range from small tabletop bronzes to large-scale installations, with a choice of hand-applied patina finishes and bespoke plinths in marble, granite, corten steel or sandstone. Sculptures can be shipped and installed Australia-wide (Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Perth) and internationally on request.
Commissions and inquiries welcome.
Additional Mela Cooke sculpture is available through our sister gallery, ARTpark Australia — view the full collection at https://artpark.com.au/Australian-sculpture/australian-sculpture-artists/mela-cooke-sculpture/