Charles Rocco

Charles Rocco is an American-born, Australian-based artist renowned for his ethereal wire mesh sculptures that explore the interplay of light, space, and form. Born in New York in 1950, Rocco relocated to Australia, where he has developed a multidisciplinary practice encompassing sculpture, printmaking, photography, video, illustration, and 3D printing. His signature works—delicate, translucent forms crafted from galvanized welded mesh—are designed to subtly occupy their environment, responding to shifting light and shadow. Rocco’s public installations are featured in prominent locations across Australia, including the National Museum in Canberra, Melbourne Aquarium, Glen Eira Arts Centre, and Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Eltham. His 2002 altarpiece, Resurrection of Christ, combines wire mesh, river stones, and copper to evoke spiritual transcendence. An educator and arts administrator, Rocco has held leadership roles in TAFE and public education, and was Deputy Director of the Newcastle Regional Art Gallery.

A Human Race explores the fragile state of a 21st century civilisation less than adequately undertaking its responsibilities as a global guardian, competently and compassionately overseeing the welfare of this planet and all its inhabitants.

Inspired by 1. the Allegory of Plato’s Cave: We live in caves judging the world by shadows cast on the walls from the light outside - 2. German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s proposition that our world is ‘the best of all possible worlds’ - 3. Voltaire’s satirical refutation of Leibniz’s belief is seen through the actions of Pangloss in Candide - 4. ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’, the intro to Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, which suggests a world of radical opposites existing contemporaneously - 5. Bernard Malamud’s quote from his 1963 novel Dubin’s Lives: ‘If your train’s on the wrong track every station you come to is the wrong station’.