Over the past 25 years, Snape has developed a practice that encompasses sculpture and installation in a diverse range of media.
Braddon Snape (b. 1968, Awabakal land, Belmont, Lake Macquarie, NSW) is an Australian sculptor known for his innovative explorations of form, material, and spatial experience. He studied at Newcastle Art School before completing further training at the University of Newcastle, where he was later awarded a PhD. Snape lives and works in Newcastle, New South Wales, maintaining an active studio practice alongside his roles as an educator and arts-community advocate.
Snape's practice spans sculpture, installation, video, and performance, though he is best recognised for his distinctive technique of inflating steel. Developed during his doctoral research, this method involves welding thin sheets of steel into sealed forms, which are then expanded using pressurised air. The results are sculptural objects that appear at once controlled and organic, rigid yet fluid, and often bear the marks of both intention and chance. He frequently refers to this body of work as "Action Sculpture", reflecting the dynamic processes that bring the forms into being.
Over a career extending more than twenty-five years, Snape has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally. His work has been presented in major outdoor sculpture exhibitions, including multiple appearances at Sculpture by the Sea, and he has been a finalist in several significant awards, such as the McClelland Sculpture Survey and Award and the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. His public art commissions include notable projects for Maitland City Council, Sydney Wharf at Pyrmont, and Port Stephens. In 2022 he won the Lake Art Prize, further establishing his reputation as a leading figure in contemporary Australian sculpture.
Snape's artworks are held in public and private collections across Australia as well as in the United Kingdom, China, Korea, and the United States. His recent works increasingly incorporate crafted lighting, enhancing the interplay between surface, reflection, and the surrounding environment. These pieces continue his long-term enquiry into materiality, perception, and the tension between industrial processes and poetic form.
In addition to his practice, Snape has contributed to arts education through lecturing in sculpture at the University of Newcastle. He is also the founder and director of The Creator Incubator, an influential artist-studio and gallery complex in the Hunter region, which supports emerging and established artists through studio spaces, exhibitions, and community engagement programmes.