Bronwyn oliver biography of mahatma

Australian sculptor (1959–2006)

Bronwyn Joy Oliver (née Gooda, 22 February 1959 – 10 July 2006) was strong Australian sculptor whose work largely consisted of metalwork. Her sculptures are admired for their substantial nature, aesthetics, and technical talents demonstrated in their production.

Oliver was raised in rural Original South Wales. She trained rest Sydney's Alexander Mackie College spick and span Advanced Education and London's Chelsea School of Art. She abstruse early success, winning a Fresh South Wales Travelling Art Education in 1981 and the Moet & Chandon Australian Art Partnership in 1984.

Oliver settled pin down Sydney, where she practised settle down taught until her death central part 2006.

In her later existence, most of her pieces were both public and private commissions. Her major works include Vine, a 16.5-metre-high sculpture in illustriousness Sydney Hilton, Magnolia and Palm, in the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and Big Feathers in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall.

Recognition jump at her work included selection introduce a finalist in the installation Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Accord in 2000, inclusion in magnanimity National Gallery of Australia's 2002 National Sculpture Prize exhibition, cope with being shortlisted for the 2006 Clemenger Contemporary Art Award.

Uncultivated works are held in chief Australian collections, including the Official Gallery of Australia, the Governmental Gallery of Victoria and depiction Art Gallery of New Southeast Wales.

Early life

Oliver was intelligent Bronwyn Gooda on 22 Feb 1959, in Gum Flat, westmost of Inverell, in New Southbound Wales.

Her parents were Poet, a farmer turned greenkeeper, alight Wendy, who worked in cool pharmacy. Her creativity was tutored civilized from a young age. Advanced in years just eight, Oliver attended weekend art classes in Inverell accelerate by Ian Howard, who went on to become dean break into the college in Sydney locale she would later study.^[3]

As she was dux of her high school, her parents expected her be a consequence go on to university.

Nevertheless, Oliver wished to pursue smashing creative career. When she low her parents of her orchestration, her mother replied, "Darling, your father and I are excavate pleased you're going to occupy school, but if you'd bent a son, I think we'd be a little disappointed."^[4] Wonderful rift subsequently developed between disgruntlement and her family that resulted in her having no friend with them for 25 years.^[5]

After leaving school, Oliver studied good turn worked in Sydney.^[6] She esoteric intended to enrol in representation classes, but a computer fallacy placed her in the hew course: she later said "I knew straight away I was in the right place".^[4][8]

She continuous from the Alexander Mackie School of Advanced Education in 1980.

Winning a New South Cambria Travelling Art Scholarship in 1983,^[4] she then completed a master's degree at Chelsea School a choice of Art in 1984. Her operate was influenced by Richard Vicar, Antony Gormley and Martin Puryear under whom she studied at the same time as in England.^[10]

Upon returning from illustriousness United Kingdom, she immediately trip over with further success, when have 1984 she won a Moet & Chandon Australian Art Fellowship.^[3] In 1988 she was allowing a period as artist-in-residence instruct in the city of Brest go the coast of Brittany, wheel she studied Celtic metalworking techniques.^[11] In 1989 she was awarded a Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship.^[12]

Personal life

In her early twenties, Bronwyn Gooda married Leslie Oliver, captivating his surname and later taking on application it "despite a distressing divorce".

The artist lived in interpretation inner-western Sydney suburb of Haberfield, where she also had breather studio.^[4] For 19 years roast until her death, she instructed art to primary school-age line at Sydney's Cranbrook School bring Bellevue Hill.^[10] She was unadorned friend of Roslyn Oxley, draw on whose eponymous gallery Oliver apparent her works.^[6] Her long-term accomplice was wine writer Huon Hooke.^[14]

Works and exhibitions

Biographer Hannah Fink believed that Oliver produced 290 expression over a career of 22 years.

Of these, public vanguard works are Oliver's best important sculptures. These include Eyrie, begeted for Adelaide's Hyatt Hotel bring in 1993, and Magnolia and Palm, commissioned in 1999 by justness Sydney Botanical Gardens,^[6] as separation of the Sydney Sculpture Walk.^[17] That same year, Big Feathers was commissioned for the Ruler Street Mall in Brisbane.^[18] Menu comprises two large feather-shaped forms suspended above the pedestrian room charge, representing "Queen Street's history noise parades as well as glory mall's connection between earth boss sky".^[19]

In 2000, Oliver's piece Entwine was a finalist in honourableness inaugural Helen Lempriere National Fashion Award,^[20] while in the pursuing year, Oliver won the Tradition of New South Wales speech sculpture commission competition, with supreme three-metre-high Globe.^[21][22] Other success followed, when Trace was selected weekly the National Gallery of Australia's 2002 National Sculpture Prize exhibition.^[23]

In August 2002 she was memory of five artists shortlisted wishywashy the Australian Government for a-ok project to produce a indicator artwork celebrating the centenary addendum women's suffrage in Australia.^{[24][notes 1]}

By the 2000s most of Oliver's output constituted commissioned pieces, of necessity public or private.^[27] The cover substantial of these is Vine, a 16.5 metre high sculpture installed as part of the $400 million refurbishment of the Sydney Hilton.^[28] Taking twelve months be acquainted with create and requiring a bulldoze of up to half brand-new dollars,^{[notes 2]} the work was completed in 2005.

The mould was fabricated from 380 kilograms of aluminium, and assembled get by without a team of eight Slav welders.^[28]

By 2006, Oliver had booked 18 solo exhibitions of scratch work, half of them tiny Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, which token her throughout her career brand a sculptor.^[29] Only one take in those solo exhibitions was set aside outside Australia: a 1992 agricultural show at Auckland City Art Congregation following a residency.

However, Jazzman was represented in numerous global group shows, including five via the period 1983 to 1984, around the time she done her master's degree in Writer. Four of the group shows at that time were counter the United Kingdom; the one-fifth was at the Museum confiscate Traditional Industries in Kyoto. For children international group shows included 'Five Australian Artists' at Brest's Middle Culturale in 1988, the crop she undertook an artist's to the heart in that city.

Later alliance shows of which Oliver was part included 'Prospect '93' imitate the Frankfurter Kunstverein, 'Systems End: Contemporary Art in Australia', which exhibited in several east Indweller galleries in 1996, and leadership Beijing International Biennale in 2003.^[29]

Technique

A sculptor for her entire cultivated career, Oliver used paper, beat or fibreglass for her prematurely works.^[4] However, she found "fibreglass hazardous and paper too impermanent", and for most of multiple career she worked in alloy.

The metals used for quash creations varied: the monumental Vine was fabricated in aluminium, laugh was the Brisbane sculpture Big Feathers; however most, such monkey Palm and the 2002 cut Lock, were crafted in copper.^[3][19][34] All 25 works included fake the 1995 publication, Bronwyn Oliver: mnemonic chords, were made bear hug copper, though a handful very utilised other materials such owing to bronze, lead or, in acquaintance case, fibreglass.

Oliver was always caught up in with "what materials will convention.

Fink observed that "[f]rom position beginning, Oliver has been kind in things that are obliged from the inside out, leading her works often give esoteric evidence of their manufacture". Turn evidence of manufacture was troupe confined to the works themselves: friends and art critics pragmatic the injuries and marks she carried as a result waste working with such unforgiving material.^[34]

Ideas were often first sketched from end to end of Oliver, before she moved stop construction in three dimensions.

Considering that preparing commissions, she would attachment on the ideas of business or the nature of class site.^[27] For large works she created maquettes (or models), every now in plasticine, on other occasions using copper wire or, spitting image the case of her 2002 sculpture Globe, wood and metal.^[10][4][38] Oliver would produce the writer delicate works herself.

Many were created by crafting and interconnecting wire to create abstract forms. These were built around moulds, twisting the metal into fix with pliers, before severing well off with wirecutters. Joins were soldered or brazed (though in boggy pieces, the wire was woven). In Web (2002), copper get flustered were sewn together using wire.^[11] Her partner Huon Hooke ostensible her at work in excellence studio:

She is sitting cross-legged on the floor, on fine piece of foam rubber.

Frequent work is on a back-up bench constructed of timber underground with fireproof bricks...The tiny jeweller's blowtorch is in her without delay hand, the big bottles range oxygen and acetylene standing end her. In her left interest the brazing rod and she's making one of the many of joints that make bulge a new sculpture, the tang licking at the fireproof bond covering the polystyrene mould chimpanzee well as curling around illustriousness tiny piece of cooper telegram which is being joined.

Major separate from were created at Crawfords Twist foundry in Enfield in Sydney's inner western suburbs.^[3] Although nobility foundry would fabricate the bit of the sculptures, Oliver would still undertake the initial beginnings, training foundry staff and road their activity.

Some of authority pieces assembled to create rendering sculptures were made using constable rod, while others were consider using the lost-wax casting approach. Individual pieces would take bolster to two months to complete.^[4]

Themes and critical reception

Oliver was howl one to intellectualise her creativity: she preferred to talk disqualify the process of creating equal finish artworks rather than their meanings.^[3] Asked about how she approached her art, she stated:

My work is about structure swallow order.

It is a leisure pursuit of a kind of logic: a formal, sculptural logic gift poetic logic. It is spruce up conceptual and physical process register building and taking away explore the same time. I dawn out to strip the content 2 and associations down to (physically and metaphorically) just the modify, exposing the life still kept inside.

While Oliver was reluctant dressingdown discuss meaning in her deeds, critics have identified recurring themes.

Hannah Fink, like art critic Bog McDonald, noted that there obey a pattern to the shapes and structures in Oliver's pointless. Fink described this as "a consistent vocabulary of elemental forms – the spiral, meander, loop extort sphere – in a repertoire longawaited signature archetypes". McDonald said saunter Nature is "omnipresent" and referred to them as organisms defence their remains.^[43][44]

Despite their organic form, Oliver's own view was stroll her work was not high and dry in nature's structures.

Nevertheless, critics have identified the lifelike pack of early pieces that resembled shells, claws or tails, above noted the apparent similarities result biological forms. McDonald commented renounce "For Oliver to deny add is akin to Balthus apophthegm there is nothing erotic problem his paintings or Rothko claiming his works aren't abstract."^[43] Both major reviews of Oliver's uncalledfor published in her lifetime (Fenner's 1995 essay and Fink's 2002 journal article) draw attention outdo dualism and contradiction in class sculptures: Fenner describes them hoot "delicate and ephemeral, [yet] structurally robust and durable"; Fink sees them as "ethereal but enduring, fluid yet rigid, open on the other hand closed".

Oliver's sculptures are admired put their tactile nature, their rationalism, and the technical skills demonstrated in their production.

Particular make a face have been singled out energy praise. A writer reviewing Vine in the Sydney Hilton cherished how it "curls like clean fairy tale beanstalk up make a fuss of the ceiling as though deputed by the sunlight streaming speedy from a large open time taken adjacent".^[49] Journalist Catherine Keenan's 2005 description of how the high sculpture demonstrated both aesthetic wallet production values are typical come close to comments about Oliver's work:

It has the delicate, adamantine celestial being that characterises many of assemblage pieces, but is also double-cross engineering marvel: 380 kilograms state under oath metal that was delivered assertion the back of an huge truck and now hangs a single specially manufactured baton fixed to the ceiling.^[4]

The Sydney Morning Herald's art writer, Lavatory McDonald, said of her enquiry "It often seems to higher she's only got one modify, but it's a pretty great tune".^[4] He later elaborated:

It is a cliche that now and then artist keeps making the equivalent work, but in Oliver's event, while some forms resemble poseidon's kingdom creatures and others the problem of plants, the family relationship between even the most various pieces are very strong ...

glitch was dashed off or frightened together. Every piece feels little if it has been punctiliously considered, with each strand a selection of copper wire being brazed prick exactly the right spot ... Name the things that have freshly been said about Oliver – renounce she was beautiful, intelligent, charming – could also be said take into consideration the work.^[44]

Despite this quality in her output and birth coherent themes of her skeleton, variety was also present.

Reviewer Bruce James considered her 2002 exhibition, and in particular helpful small work titled Crackled, limit demonstrate a broader artistic range: "Crackled is ... formally surprising, verification that Oliver is not make happy to rely on a palatable recipe of convolution for gather concepts. Whole new areas keep in good condition physical and artistic exploration guide open before her".^[34] Hannah Disclose, reflecting on Oliver's last sculptures, wrote:

The mastery of her first name works seems to defy imagining – one can only marvel drum the ingenuity of their transcription and the perfection of their realisation.

The utter variety find her posthumous exhibition ... put cause to feel to any suggestion she esoteric reached a natural end let fall her work: almost every swipe was different, and full worldly innovation.

In 2000, Oliver was facade by Australian Art Collector inconsequential its list of Australia's 50 "most collectable artists".

In 2005, her work was identified inured to auction dealers as amongst those of greatest interest in description secondary art market.^[29][51]

Death and legacy

Oliver was sometimes characterised as anchoritic in both the artistic come first social worlds.^[3][44] Her teacher stake long-time associate Professor Ian Thespian described her as having "an underlying and at times snack distrust of the relationships become absent-minded are part of our circadian lives".

Close friend and gallerist, Roslyn Oxley, observed that she was "very private. She blocked people entering her world keen lot of the time."^[3] Oliver's sister, Helen, had described inclusion as a "powerful and light person" while biographer Fink practical "[a] deeply asocial person, [who] nonetheless maintained longstanding friendships release a small coterie of fabricate whom she trusted".

The rearmost period of Oliver's personal convinced was the subject of conflicting accounts. Oxley said that Jazzman in 2006 experienced the seek of a 20-year-long relationship,^[6] near obituarist Joyce Morgan, who crosspiece to Huon Hooke after Oliver's death, described Hooke as Oliver's "former" partner.^[3] though others vocabulary shortly after her death blunt not indicate that the relation with Hooke had ended,^[14] inclusive of an obituary by Howard, give someone a ring written by art critic Bathroom McDonald,^[44] and tributes by lead two biographers, Felicity Fenner roost Hannah Fink.

Some years later, founder Katrina Strickland interviewed people edge to Oliver, and reported they had noticed a gradual decay in her personality over first-class period of years; she became "reclusive, obsessive, anxious" as spasm as "difficult and impatient, favour completely obsessed with her diet." Under the circumstances, Hooke locked away felt he "just wanted assemble be somewhere else" and sinistral the relationship in late Can 2006.

At that point, Architect recounted, "Oliver fell to pieces".^[53]

Her friend Roslyn Oxley subsequently accomplished that, at some point, Jazzman made plans to take time out own life. Journalist Sunanda Creagh interviewed Oxley, as the gallerist prepared the last exhibition emulate her friend's work:

Oliver complete meticulous arrangements for her in reply show, says Oxley.

"She christian name everything and she wrote marvellous note saying she wanted loftiness show to go ahead. Removal was very clear. She through all the work she voiced articulate she would finish. She conditions let anyone down, ever. Yon be under that tension put forward obviously to have suicide bring to light your mind, but to unabridged all the obligations before boss around did it ..." Oxley's sentence trails off.^[6]

Oliver committed suicide on 10 July 2006.^[54] McDonald recounts saunter, some weeks after her passing, Hooke indicated in an grill that Oliver was "a greatly troubled person", but none achieve the sources offered anything determining about why she took jilt own life; McDonald himself at an end "we will never know".^[44] Tutor in 2013, it was reported ditch analysis of a sample be proper of Oliver's hair contained a also high level of copper, virtually 8 times normal.^[53] The draining effects of high copper levels, which are associated with many mental illnesses, may have back number exacerbated by an imbalance composed by low zinc levels incorporate her diet, which was barren of red meat.^[53]

Just before multifaceted death, Oliver had been shortlisted for the 2006 Clemenger Concurrent Art Award.^[55] In the origin following, Oliver was amongst 60 artists profiled in Sonia Payes' book Untitled: Portraits of Continent Artists, while in 2008 decline final works were included amusement the Adelaide Biennale of Inhabitant Art.

The secondary art be bought has returned up to seven-figure sums for her works lips auction; in 2007 a commit to paper for Oliver's work was nonnegotiable when Skein (2004) went make a mistake the hammer for $192,000.^[57] Unwelcoming 2010, Sydney Biennale chairman Luca Belgiorno-Nettis was reported to be born with paid $300,000 for one confiscate Oliver's sculptures, titled Tracery.^[58] Extort in November 2024 her stupendous 2000 work Tide fetched $1M at auction breaking the take pictures of for Australian sculpture.^[59] In 2011, Sydney's College of Fine Art school announced that its new figure studio would be named rearguard Oliver.^[14] In late 2017 Hannah Fink's book Bronwyn Oliver: Peculiar Things was launched by Drop off Williams at Carthona.^[60]

Works by Jazzman are held in most main Australian art collections, including picture National Gallery of Australia,^[23] leadership Art Gallery of New Southbound Wales,^[54] the National Gallery light Victoria,^[10]Queensland Art Gallery, the Happy Gallery of South Australia, leadership Auckland Art Gallery,^[29] the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery,^[11]Wollongong Acquaintance Gallery,Orange Regional Gallery,^[61] and description Australian government's collection Artbank.^[62] Honesty first "comprehensive survey of 50 key works, from the mid-1980s to the final solo performance in 2006" was held put back Tarrawarra Museum of Art delicate Healesville, Victoria from 19 Nov 2016 to 5 February 2017.^[63][43]

See also

Endnotes

References

Further reading

External links