Sculptor Greg Johns installs the largest international sculpture commission ever undertaken by an Australian artist.

Thirteen sculptures by Australian artist Greg Johns decorate the gardens outside the headquarters of Diario, an international publishing group in Ibiza Spain. Installed last month, the collection is the largest installation of sculptures to have ever been commissioned from an Australian internationally.

Sculptor Greg Johns has been making fabricated steel sculptures since 1978. His work is held in public and private collections in Asia, the Middle East, the USA and Europe. Johns has received wide recognition for his work in Australia but this commission symbolises a significant leap for the artist as he now raises his international profile.

Johns was commissioned to undertake the works by major international publishing group Diario in late 2004. He was selected for the project based on his reputation as Australia’s major steel sculptor and the medium’s suitability for the location. Johns has used two types of steel – oxidised and Corten steel. The works stand between 2.5 and 6.5 metres tall and weigh between eight and nine tonnes as a collective. The project took twelve months to conceive and deliver with Johns traveling to Ibiza in April last year for inspiration prior to commencing the commission. The works were constructed in Adelaide and shipped to Ibiza in a container with its roof removed to accommodate the forms.

Johns took his inspiration for the sculptures from the Ibiza surrounds – reddish earth, dry stone walls and the Mediterranean landscape. Multiculturalism is what Johns wanted to reflect in these pieces, adding to the cultural essence of Ibiza promoting more than the sun, beach and nightlife that the city is famous for. The sculptural figures are a mixture of abstraction, streamlined human forms and nature. Johns believes that art should be brought to public spaces and enjoyed by passers by.