Finalists in the 2008 Ola Cohn Sculpture Award are on exhibition at City Library. Ten sculptures showing the diversity of contemporary sculpture from figurative to funky, fabric to kinetic.
The winner of the 2008 Ola Cohn Sculpture Award is Patrick Delbosc for his sculpture ‘Tween’, a bulbous bronze plated form on two stumpy legs. Patrick Delbosc is a former Diploma of Visual Arts student at CAE.
Patrick Delbosc says: “This work explores the nature of family and of reactions to society life. Full of life, ‘Tween’ engages in an emotional conversation about love and seduction, but also the changing loving relation between persons within a family. The warm copper materials, changing colour over time and light conditions aim at enhancing this expression of change, discovery, excitement and pleasure.”
Other sculptures on exhibition include Antonia Goodfellow’s “Wormhole” is a kaleidoscope-like creation playing with light, space and mirrors. Carl Scrase’s construction of super-balls and toothpicks; which I had seen when it was previously exhibited in Seventh Gallery April 2008, in the group show “We’ve Got a Love Like Electric Sound” (see entry Only Rock’n’Roll)
There were two of the sculptors were working with fabric. Catherine O’Leary covered telephones with material. And Kate Just created a knitted-fabric covered figure sinking in knitted brown mud watering a green carpet lawn ambiguously titled “Paradise”.
And my personal favorite James Cattell’s “The Vigilant Insomniac”, a very engaging kinetic sculpture. Everyone wanted to play with it and the “Please touch” sign gave permission. When the handle was cranked the sculpture rotated jerkily, bells rang and its many eyes winked and blinked. Cattell works in a number of media: ceramics, sculpture, wood and metal, painting, and does children’s book illustration. He created the Children’s Sculpture Garden at Linden Gallery, St Kilda and ceramic pavement inlays in the Bourke Street Mall. Cattell studied Fine Art at Elam School of Art, Auckland.
James Cattell says: “I live to do art and have practised this through painting and sculpture, as well as puppetry and illustration. I will attempt almost any medium or format, as long as I can use my hands to create the work.”
There are also sculptures by Christopher Bold, Katie Weedon, Natasha Frisch, Peter Rosman and, an old sandstone carving by Ola Cohn, herself (not an entry but a reminder).
Black Mark 