Adelaide-based sculptor Greg Johns has been announced as the 2012 winner of the acquisitive $100,000 McClelland Award for outdoor sculpture.

Chosen from 35 finalists exhibited as part of the McClelland Sculpture Survey, Johns’ work At the centre (There is nothing) was selected by judge Deborah Edwards, Senior curator of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, as the outstanding entry.

According to Johns’ website: “Over the last decade, the Australian landscape has become a major influence on my sculpture. It is not however the only influence; over the last 29 years of practice, a layering of ideas has gradually unfolded and evolved. These conceptual notions are now well rooted in this landscape.

“My reading of the Australian landscape is both visual, and a felt, beneath-the-surface approach. As I have said before, it is perhaps deep beneath our thin soils where the significant stories lie, in the extremely old subterranean levels. There is much to be learnt about this place, for those prepared to sit quietly and listen.”

Since its inception in 2003, the McClelland Sculpture Survey has emerged as the most important outdoor sculpture exhibition in Australia, displaying a wide range of works in different media and styles by both established and emerging artists.

Sculptors nationally and internationally are eligible to enter the McClelland Sculpture Survey, an exhibition highlighting the diversity and invention of contemporary sculptural practice. 

Displayed throughout 16 hectares of bush and landscaped gardens, the survey is intended to provide sculptors the opportunity to present their works in an outdoor exhibition context. The exhibition is accompanied by a major comprehensive catalogue.

The 35 finalist will remain on display at the McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park until the 14th of July 2013