A major touring exhibition of contemporary sculpture showcasing the works of 12 acclaimed Australian artists is now on show at the University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery.

The Safe Space exhibition features a diversity of sculptural materials, techniques and scale, and explores different notions of space — abstract or real, physical, psychological, political and social.

USC Art Gallery Manager Megan Williams said the Sunshine Coast was the final stop of a five-state tour of this remarkable exhibition developed by Museums & Galleries Queensland.

“Many of the works take, as their point of departure, the human body: its dimensions, the spaces it occupies, the narratives that contain it and the theatre or spectacle that unfolds around it,” she said.

Exhibition Curator Christine Morrow said the title of the exhibition encouraged viewers to consider the ways the artworks engage the themes of safety or a lack of safety.

“It is about space in all its rich possibility and, perhaps unexpectedly, in all its difficulty,” she said.

“Sculpture is conventionally defined by the way it occupies three dimensions. Yet these works project into other psychological and cultural dimensions – those that cannot be contained within the physical realm.”

The exhibition includes works by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Alex Seton, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, David Cross, Franz Ehmann, Karla Dickens, Keg de Souza, Michelle Nikou, Rosie Miller, Tim Sterling and Will French.

Safe Space will be on display at the USC Art Gallery until 15 January. More details about the exhibition are at usc.edu.au/art-gallery/whats-on/safe-space

The gallery is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm and Saturdays 10am-1pm (closed public holidays). Entry is free.