Wanda Gillespie - Crossing the Rubicon (boy)

Wanda Gillespie is an Australian/New Zealand contemporary artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa.

Over the past decade, she has refined her craft as a woodcarver, creating evocative portrait sculptures that blend detailed and abstracted forms, ancient and contemporary influences. Familiar objects are reimagined with new purpose, history, and cultural resonance. By using traditional techniques in contemporary ways, Gillespie questions known histories and the nature of reality.

Her work explores humanity, vulnerability, and resilience through symbolic figures. Many of her sculptures depict children, capturing moments of transition, imagination, and hope in the face of uncertainty, inviting reflection on the challenges and possibilities of our changing world.

Inspired by the 2023 Waiheke Island floods, Boy Crossing the Rubicon shows a child leading a symbolic procession through murky waters. The sculpture reflects rising seas and global uncertainty, offering a mythic perspective on humanity navigating an uncertain future.

- Handcarved in Chestnut
- Unique artwork
- 455x150x150