Justine Watt

Read: An Emerging Voice in Sculptural Reinvention

In a world grappling with overconsumption and waste, Justine Watt's sculptural practice stands as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of repurposed materials. As a final year student at Edinburgh College of Art, Watt has carved out a unique artistic voice, one that challenges our perceptions of the ordinary and invites us to reconsider the value of the discarded.

Justine Watt (b. 1973) has rapidly emerged as one of Scotland's most promising artistic voices. Her powerful practice centers on deconstructing and repurposing domestic objects like chairs, candles, and coat hangers that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Working primarily with reclaimed wood, Watt meticulously disassembles these items, revealing their intrinsic potential for reinvention. Through traditional woodworking techniques such as steam bending, she deftly incorporates the repurposed materials into modular sculptural forms that harmoniously fuse texture and narrative.Watt's raw, gestural constructions embody a profound respect for ethical material use, domesticity, labor, and timeless craftsmanship.

Watt's artistic process and conceptual underpinnings resonate with several influential contemporary sculptors. Like Rachel Whiteread, her work transforms ordinary domestic objects into monumental presences that prompt new perspectives. Watt shares an affinity with Cornelia Parker's practice of reconfiguring and repurposing familiar materials, imbuing the discarded with renewed significance. Additionally, Simon Starling's exploration of the cyclical nature of existence through his metamorphic sculptures finds kinship in Watt's modular, reinterpretable forms crafted from repurposed wood and objects. Drawing inspiration from these artistic vanguards, Watt forges her own powerful language celebrating sustainability, ethical material use, and the poetic potential of the oft-overlooked. At its core, Watt's practice is a poignant call to reconsider society's "throwaway culture." By breathing urgent new life into repurposed objects, she challenges assumptions about perceived value and consumption. Each piece raises awareness about environmental responsibility while sparking joy and engagement.

The resonance of her message has already earned significant recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2024 Scottish Emerging Sculptor Award. Watt is also the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Tim Stead Trust Award and Flora Wood Award from Visual Arts Scotland at the RSA.With her unique perspective and steadfast commitment to sustainability, this rising star stands poised to make an indelible impact on the contemporary art scene. Justine Watt's sculptures are a powerful reminder that beauty, meaning and value can be renewed from the most unexpected of sources.