Jonathan Loxley
Jonathan Loxley was born in 1960. His father was a fighter pilot and this meant that Loxley travelled widely throughout his youth. Between 1979 and 1981, Loxley studied marble sculpture techniques in Florence, Italy. After leaving education, Loxley painted stage sets and created sculptures for film and theatre sets. He worked on set design for cult films such as Labyrinth and A Fish Called Wanda. In 1988, Loxley contracted cerebral malaria whilst working briefly as a safari driver in Kenya. He was very close to death but, luckily, he survived. This incident gave Loxley the drive to follow his dream and move from set design into sculpture. It also formed lasting links between Loxley and Africa where he returned frequently on trips to Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to teach stone carving. In 1989, Loxley established a studio in Carrara, Italy. Since then, he has had several exhibitions in Italy, and across Europe. In 1993, he was commissioned by David Bowie to create a sculpture to celebrate Bowie's marriage to Iman. In 1999, Loxley took part in The Shape of the Century - 100 Years of Sculpture in Britain at Canary Wharf, London. His work has also been featured at the Hampton Court Flower Show and Henley Art Show, both in 2001.
Movement and a sense of lightness are inherent to Jonathan Loxley's work. His work takes stone, traditionally heavy and cumbersome, and transforms it into fluid, weightless forms. His work often denies the materiality of stone and he is able to nurture its unique textures and characteristics. His work is sensual and textural, a visceral landmark that draws viewers to it by its inner contradiction, light from heavy, movement from the inanimate.
