Tree Spirit

Saint Cloche is proud to reveal Tracey Deep’s latest, and as always, very personal body of work, ‘TREE SPIRIT’.

Nature and the environment have been a touchpoint of inspiration for many creatives around the world and throughout the ages, but as humanity’s relationship with nature has progressed, becoming increasingly extractive and exploitative over time, a new vernacular has developed amongst artists, more focussed on the dire situation and sobering reality of our planet’s eco system.

Tracey’s art form has long been an important visual platform to convey her advocacy for the environment and is mostly infused with messages of conservation, spirituality and social awareness and at the same time fascinating and charming our senses.

As always, Tracey uses natural materials collected on her travels, bushwalks, frequented markets and favourite suppliers. She continues to integrate the man-made, recycling, and repurposing discarded waste materials that she finds endlessly interesting because of their beauty, texture, form, and rhythm.

At a spiritual level, trees awaken us to our connection with something greater than ourselves - they are the abodes of nature's spirit. Their presence has the power to inspire profound feelings of love, gratitude, and a deep-seated desire to protect them. Honored with sacred meaning since ancient times, these majestic beings embody the earth’s tranquility, dignity, and wisdom.

Deeply intertwined with indigenous spiritual practices, trees symbolize the profound bond between nature and humanity. They stand as symbols of strength, individuality, and growth, patiently enduring the ravages of time while reflecting the intrinsic interconnectedness of all life.

Beyond their spiritual significance, trees are vital to our survival. They provide the oxygen we breathe, improve air quality, combat climate change, conserve water, preserve soil, and support wildlife. Trees represent freedom and equality for all living organisms. The silence that follows when trees are cut down en masse - a silence devoid of dappled shade, rustling leaves, and the life that flourishes beneath their canopy—reminds us of their irreplaceable role.

Just as the branches of a tree reach skyward, striving for light and growth, we too seek knowledge, wisdom, and new experiences as we move through life. The roots symbolise our origins and past, the trunk represents the core of our being, and the branches and leaves embody the paths we take and the cycles of life we endure.

Trees have long been the guardians of life on earth, and it is now our turn to safeguard them. My exhibition, "Tree Spirit," is dedicated in memory of my beautiful mother, Mumma Deep, whose spirit rests among the trees, their ancestral roots running deep within me.

- Tracey Deep

About Tracey Deep

Tracey Deep is a national treasure and generous spirit, much loved and hugely revered for her authenticity and devotion to nature, Tracey is a creative adventurer, a biology enthusiast, and magical botanical sculptor.

Celebrated for her sustainable sculptures and installations using organic and industrial recycled materials for over two decades – her creations are as distinctive as a thumbprint, and her signature artworks can be found in private and public collections.

Tracey’s varied clients span the length and breadth of Australia and overseas ranging from the Art Gallery of NSW, NGV Melbourne, Wolgan Valley Emirates resort, Cult Design, Aria restaurant Sydney, Dubai Opera restaurant, Dolphin Hotel Sydney, The Commons Hotel Hobart, Macquarie bank, Rabo bank, AMP Angel Place public art works , AGNSW installation Daniel Boyd exhibition, Brookfield Place public art works, to work on films such as Mission impossible and Star Trek, and events from the Winter Olympics to the launch of Hugh Jackman’s company.

Tracey was commissioned by The Art Gallery of NSW to create an installation to celebrate Daniel Boyd’s Treasure Island in his first major Australian solo exhibition held in a major public art museum. She has also been commissioned by AMP to create a three-part installation ‘Water Spirit’ that draws inspiration from the original natural landscape of the area, paying homage to the traditional owners of the land. She is also one of two hundred artists and visionaries from around the world selected to recreate the iconic Louis Vuitton trunk in honour of the 200th birthday of the fashion house's creator. Tracey's sculpture 'Tree Spirit’ was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Wynne Prize 2021 at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Most recently, Tracey has unveiled commissions for Cartier for their bespoke exhibition at Walsh Bay, and created a museum presentation for NGV’s ‘Art in Bloom’, also had an installation at ‘the moderns’, the new wing at AGNSW, has continued to work with luxury brands such as LVMH and Hermes and has many public art installations around Australia.