A moment held in form.
Sculptural works developed in dialogue with clients, architects, and spaces. From concept to fabrication and installation.
I came to sculpture through industrial design, where form served a purpose. Sculpture gave me the freedom to pursue form for its own sake.
I’ve always been drawn to shapes that feel inevitable. Forms that seem discovered rather than invented. Work that holds tension, stillness, and presence in the same gesture.
Arizona Commission
Scottsdale, Arizona
Exhale | Private Residence | In Development | 2026
A 3 metre marble sculpture currently in development for a private residence in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Developed in dialogue with client and architecture, the work responds to a dramatic vertical void within the home’s central stair.
The commission spans concept development, digital visualisation, scale studies, Carrara marble sourcing, specialist fabrication in Italy, and installation planning.
From Concept to Installation
01
Initial Conversation
Discuss the site, architectural intent, scale, material direction, and what the work needs to achieve emotionally or spatially.
Concept Development
02
Early sketches, sculptural studies, and proportion testing establish direction before fabrication begins.
Visualisation & Refinement
03
Digital visualisation and scale studies test placement, materiality, and integration within the architecture.
Material Realisation
04
Works are realised through a combination of direct making and specialist fabrication, depending on scale, material, and technical requirements.
Production Oversight
05
Fabrication is overseen throughout, including approvals, engineering coordination, and technical resolution.
06
Delivery & Installation
Logistics, fixing methodology, site coordination, and installation are resolved to ensure the work arrives exactly as intended.
About the Artist
Dominic van der Merwe is a Melbourne-based sculptor whose practice sits between sculptural intuition and technical precision.
Working with private collectors, architects, and designers, he develops one-off works that move from concept through to realised installation across a range of materials and scales.