MILITARY MEMORIALS & EXHIBITIONS
Military Memorials by artist Ian Coate

One of the pleasures of being a military artist is being invited to work with organisations and other artists to create memorials that honour our service personnel.  Below are a number of projects I have been fortunate to be involved with.

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Military Memorial at Casino, NSW

I was delighted to be asked by the Richmond Valley Council to contribute the artwork to be engraved on their new 'Casino Drill Hall Memorial', overlooking the Richmond River in NSW.   This memorial is next to the World War One Memorial Walk and the Poppy Park playground.  If you are ever in Casino, it’s well worth the visit.
Below are some photos of the memorial, plus some images showing the production.

Military Memorial at Casino, NSW
Military Memorial at Casino artworks by Ian Coate
Behind the scenes construction of Casino Drill Hall Memorial
Military Memorial Casino artworks by Ian Coate
Military Memorial at Casino, NSW
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Military Working Dog Memorial at SASR, WA

The dog handlers at the SASR where very keen to create a memorial for their fallen dogs. I was honoured to be asked to create the initial concept artwork for this special memorial to honour our fallen four-legged mates and their service. Located at the SASR Museum, the finished result was a collaborative effort by many people.  Renowned sculptor, Robert Hitchcock did all the hard work bring the memorial to life. I was delighted to be part of the production.
Below are some photos of the memorial, plus some images showing the production.

Australian SASR Dog Memorial

To finish off the military dog memorial a plaque with my tribute poem "The Military Dog" was placed above the names of the dogs who have died in service or later from service related injuries. I am very proud to have been apart of this memorial.

Australian SASR Dog Memorial
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The Burt Memorial Hall stands as an important historic symbol of Perth’s Burt family, who played a significant role in the government of the Swan River Colony when it was first established. 2017 was 100 years since the buildings erection in honour of the two Burt sons killed in WW1.
Relatives of the Burt family asked if I could create a memorial design to go in the empty enclaves on the building’s front.

After the concept art was accepted, sculptor Mehdi Rasulle took over and did an incredible job of bringing the design to realisation.

Burt Memorial Hall artist Ian Coate
Burt Memorial Hall Ian Coate
Burt Memorial Hall design by Ian Coate
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Light Horse Tribute in Kupunda, South Australia

I am absolutely blown away to have my light horse painting turned into a metal sculpture for a memorial in Kupunda, South Australia. David Wynes from Plazma Art certainly did an amazing job.

Light Horse Tribute in Kupunda
Light Horse Tribute in Kupunda artwork by Ian Coate
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Danes' Driveway Memorial, Queensland

Kerry and Kay Danes were instrumental in starting me as a military artist, so it was absolute pleasure for me to supply the artwork for their driveway memorial.  This memorial lights up at night and is a fantastic neighbourhood tribute to our service men and women.

Military Tribute Memorial
Military Tribute Memorial

At nigt, the mememorial lights up and changes colour.

Military Tribute Memorial
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The Silo Memorial - that never was

As most artists know, for every project that take wings and are completed, there are many that never get off the ground.  This silo memorial is one of those.  It received so much public support; however, for whatever reasons this one never took off.

Light HorseSilo Memorial by Ian Coate
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WA Museum 'OUT OF THE SHADOWS' Exhibition
The SAS ‘Out of the Shadows’ exhibition at the Western Australian Museum was a great success, with an estimated 24 thousand people touring the collection. Public feedback was extremely positive with many commenting that the exhibition was tastefully and respectfully arranged.  Credit for this goes directly to the staff and volunteers at the SAS Historical Foundation and the WA Museum.
SASR Out of the Shadows
SAS Art
The ‘SASR – Out of the Shadows’ exhibition gave a ‘never-before-seen’ glimpse into the secret world of one of the world’s elite special force units.  2014 marked the Golden Jubilee of Australian’s SAS Regiment and for the very first time the SAS showcased its artworks and historical artefacts to the general public.
This exhibition revealed the SAS’s inception in the jungles of Borneo and Vietnam, where they received the reputation as “Phantoms of the Jungle”; to the development of their highly skilled counter-terrorism capability; to the peacekeeping years in war-torn Rwanda, Somalia and Timor; to the present day ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan.
Through the eyes of over 30 artists’, the exhibition showed what it takes to be a soldier of the Australian SAS that lives by the courageous motto, “Who Dare Wins”. It was a privilege to be one of the contributing artists.
SAS Out of the Shadows
SAS Out of the Shadows
SAS Out of the Shadows
SAS Out of the Shadows
SAS Out of the Shadows
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DST Group 'FUTURE SOLDIER' Exhibit
This was an interesting project I did in collaboration with another talented artist, Elin Tan.  DST Group contacted us needing visuals for their presentations on their fascinating work on future tech for our soldiers.  It was a lot of fun to conjure up what tomorrow’s soldier may look like.  Elin did the lion’s share of these digital artworks, but it remains one of my most interesting military commissions I’ve been part of.
Future Soldier Tech Concept Art
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CLICK HERE to have a quick gander at a few projects I've been fortunate to be involved with...
Ian Coate Projects
Australian Military Art Illustrations of Ian CoateAbout Ian Coate Artist