In the cat came back, acclaimed Brisbane sculptor Stephen Hart merges a lifelong fascination with aviation, personal family history, and five decades of artmaking into his most ambitious project to date — a four-metre sculptural recreation of the legendary PBY Catalina aircraft.
The work’s origins trace back to January 2024, when Hart visited Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and revisited memories of his father’s WWII service, fleeing Rabaul after the Japanese invasion and searching in vain for the Catalina — famed for its search and rescue role. Hart’s Catalina, built at one-eighth scale, has absorbed 13,000 rivets, timber, aluminium, surfboard foam, and rubber, with every component meticulously drawn, calculated, and hand-crafted.
Alongside the suspended aircraft, the exhibition will feature maquettes and related works, including the biographical The Cat Came Back. A new publication, the cat came back: Stephen Hart sculpture, featuring text by Louise Martin-Chew, a foreword by Adrian Hall, a major poem by Nathan Shepherdson, and other contributors, will be launched at the opening event.
Opening Event & Book Launch: Saturday 13 September, 4–6pm, with the artist in attendance.
