THE riverside homes in Fremantle might be shaking next week as Jina Lee’s multi-tonne artwork for the new Freo Traffic Bridge is hauled into place.

It’s too complicated to assemble the 15m-long, 3m-high sculpture on site, so Lee is having to put together the 13 pieces—some weighing up to 3.5 tonnes—at her J-Shed studio on Arthur Head.

“My forklift only handles 2.5 tonnes and this is way heavier than that,” she says.

“So the weight is a big challenge, and combined with the stainless steel pieces, it’s taken a lot of engineering to put it together.”

• (above) Jina Lee working on her public artwork for the new Fremantle Traffic Bridge, and (below) her in-progress commission for the Fremantle police complex.

A collaboration with Noongar artist Sharyn Egan, the sculpture is inspired by the Wagyl—a manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent that slithered across the land, creating the Swan and Canning rivers and other waterways and landforms around Perth and south-west WA. 

“The sculpture will come in and out of the land like the Wagyl,” Lee says. 

“Aside from the design, there is some beautiful art on the sculpture by Sharyn.

“The bridge may change over time, but the Wagyl and the Wagyl spirits will remain forever in Fremantle and the Fremantle bridge. That was the concept.”

The sculpture will be installed near the southern end of the bridge. “We ordered 24 tonnes of stone from up north to make it,” Lee says.

“The stone’s stronger than typical marble and more durable to the WA weather.”

Originally from South Korea and now based in Freo, Lee is an in-demand sculptor who has done umpteen commissions across Perth including works at Attadale Foreshore, Wellington Square, Melville Civic Centre and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Primarily working in stone, as well as steel and bronze, she’s also created sculptures for clients overseas in Japan, Italy and France.

“I’m inspired by my surrounding nature and environment, perhaps because of my experiences of moving around and leaving South Korea,” Lee says.

“I just came by myself to Fremantle—it wasn’t really planned. But it’s become home.”

If tackling the giant traffic bridge sculpture wasn’t enough, she’s also working on a sculpture for the public plaza at the under-construction police complex on South Terrace.

Updates on Lee’s Facebook page show a mass of curved metal rods and organic-looking stone pieces.

“It’s almost done and just needs some finishing touches,” she says.

Lee says it’s been challenging finishing both sculptures as she’s had to look for a new studio space after Fremantle Council instructed her and other long-term tenants to vacate the J-Shed.

Council wants to give other artists a chance to move in. Lee’s been at the J-Shed for more than a decade.

“I need to move out after I finish this commission,” she says.

“So, I’m probably leaving next month. I’ve got so many things to move.” Lee says she will likely end up in a light industrial area as she needs a lot of space for her materials and sculptures.

But right now, she is busy getting her giant sculpture ready to be transported to the Freo Traffic Bridge next week, before the grand opening on Sunday, November 1.

“It’s a very meaningful work for me,” Lee says.

“I’m very honoured to be involved.”

To find out more about Lee’s amazing art see jinaleearts.com.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK