Early Life and Artistic Beginnings John Meade, born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1956, emerged as a significant figure in the Australian contemporary sculpture landscape. His journey began not within the confines of formal art education—though he later earned degrees from RMIT University and the Victorian College of the Arts—but through an intuitive engagement with materials and form. This early self-directed exploration laid the foundation for a practice characterized by its physicality, emotional resonance, and willingness to embrace unconventional elements. Meade’s initial artistic explorati…