BIO
Andrew Murdock (b. 1969, Sydney, Australia) is a contemporary sculptor and painter based in Hawai‘i, United States. His practice is defined by a distinctive Geo-Organic visual language—an evolving synthesis of geometric order and organic dynamism—most notably articulated through sculptural forms constructed from repurposed wooden shipping pallets. Murdock’s works explore the aesthetic and conceptual tensions between containment and release, structure and entropy, often manifesting as highly textural, spatially activated compositions that convey a simultaneous sense of explosive energy and compositional restraint.
His sculptural cycles chart the evolution of a deeply responsive and process-oriented practice. Pathways of Change (Series 1) introduced a bold, architectonic formalism rendered in a predominately satin black finish. In Intersections and Oscillations (Series 2), Murdock expanded into a more organic mode—incorporating negative space and introducing saturated color to heighten emotional resonance. His current series, Places Unknown (Series 3), reflects a further integration with the natural world, embracing a visual vocabulary of transformation, motion, and adaptive spatial logic. Across each phase, Murdock’s work remains anchored in a central preoccupation: the universal human condition of conflict and the elusive pursuit of balance within the transitional zone between order and chaos.
Educated in architecture, Murdock earned a Bachelor of Science (Architecture) from the University of Sydney in 1991, followed by a Bachelor of Architecture with First Class Honors from the University of New South Wales in 1995. His early career included the co-founding of JUXCYCLE 1.2.1 with jewelry designer Matt Wise—an experimental design practice creating functional sculptural objects from salvaged automotive parts, exhibited in solo and group shows throughout Australia.
From 1996 to 2021, Murdock worked prolifically in the American film and television industry, contributing to major productions such as Alien Resurrection, Lost, Star Trek Beyond, S.W.A.T., and American Horror Story: Roanoke. As a Production Designer and Art Director, he developed large-scale immersive environments requiring close collaboration with stakeholders, technical teams, and fabricators—a background that continues to inform his sculptural process, particularly in public art contexts. His work on Roanoke earned an Art Directors Guild Award nomination for Excellence in Production Design.
Relocating to Hawai‘i in 2021 marked a pivotal shift toward full-time studio practice beginning in 2024. In 2025, Murdock debuted his first solo exhibition, Pathways of Change, in Honolulu. His work is now held in private collections across the U.S., and he continues to expand his practice through site-specific, public art opportunities, integrating architectural insight, narrative depth, and material experimentation into each new body of work.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work investigates the dynamic and often unpredictable experience of conflict, viewed through the enduring tension between order and chaos. I believe this condition—conflict in its many forms—defines contemporary life across personal, cultural, and global dimensions. In an age of digital hyper-awareness, where crises are amplified and rapidly transmitted, I seek to create sculptural works that offer a moment of reflection, grounding, and emotional resonance.
Each piece begins with an intensive process of sketching and conceptual research, centered on themes of movement, transformation, and energy. In the maquette phase,ideas take on dimensional form, allowing for iterations and spatial refinement. My Geo-Organic visual language—rooted in both geometric structure and organic flow—offers a flexible framework through which each work can evolve in the studio, adapting subtly during fabrication.
I fabricate all works under 10 feet in scale by hand. Larger pieces are developed in close collaboration with professional fabricators, using precise technical documentation to ensure the integrity of form and concept.
My intention is to create work that momentarily disrupts the flow of everyday distraction—capturing attention, evoking memory, and encouraging contemplation. Whether interpreted as abstract musical notation, skeletal structures, or microscopic organisms.My sculptures are invitations. The work is intended to arrest the senses, probe thought and stimulate emotional responses. My work does not simply occupy space it encourages the viewer to halt, focus, connect and hopefully engage in meaningful thought about the world and our relationship to it.
