From Sharne Wolff…
James Angus is an artist well known for his colourful public art commissions including Geo Face Distributor [fondly referred to as ‘the orange blob’] at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra and the quirky Day in, Day Out which greets city office workers every morning at #1 Bligh Street in Sydney. The sculptures in Angus’s new exhibition continue the artist’s use of wild enamels – bold oranges, reds and yellows dominate, alongside pure blacks and whites.
Angus‘s work has often demonstrated his interest in architecture and his statement for this exhibition refers to the ‘form versus function’ debates of the early 20th century. Here, the artist has encouraged his steel I-beams into positions their inventors would not have imagined. Black I-beam knot sits ever so elegantly on its pedestal while the multicoloured I-Beam Sunburst defies its history as the foundation of the first skyscrapers. White Pipe Compression and Orange Pipe Compression are reminiscent of an early-morning yoga class. Angus has transformed compressed steel pipes into objects of feminine beauty. In all of these works the artist has conceived a visual trick between what these objects are and how they appear to the viewer. Like a lot of Angus’s work they’re also entertaining and good fun.
Until 2 March
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Paddington
Pic: James Angus, Installation view [photo: Jessica Maurer]. Courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.
