Drew McDonald Studio

Drew McDonald is an Australian sculptor and multidisciplinary artist based in Brunswick Heads on Bundjalung Country. He studied Contemporary Visual Art at the University of Tasmania and Art / Design at Griffith University. McDonald is known for creating large-scale works that fuse engineering precision with a pop-surrealist sense of humour. His sculptures often pair everyday consumer objects with iconic or fear-laden creatures, transforming the familiar into something uncanny, playful, and quietly philosophical.

Working across stainless steel, stone, clay, recycled plastics, using traditional sculpting techniques, and advanced digital modelling, McDonald builds a visual language shaped by his interest in absurdism, modern culture, and the tension between organic experience and artificial comfort. Influenced by writers such as Aldous Huxley and Albert Camus, existential thought, and the bold clarity of Pop Artists such as Jeff Koons, his works encourage viewers to pause, smile, and question the world they take for granted.

McDonald has quickly become a notable emerging figure in Australia’s contemporary sculpture landscape. He has exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea Bondi in 2025 wining the Waverley Councils favourite for SOMA and in 2024 winning both the People’s Choice and the Kids’ Choice Award for his work Sharnana. In 2025 he also received the overall major award at the 2025 SWELL Sculpture Festival for Beach Ball Spider. His sculptures have attracted strong public engagement, entered private collections and are known for their creativity and distinctive voice.

Before establishing his practice, McDonald spent over a decade as a fitter-turner, experience that informs the structural ingenuity of his work. He also owns and operates the Electric Mermaid barbershop in Brunswick Heads, reflecting his deep connection to his local community.