Stephen Cox | Grand Peregrine

13 June 2009

Stephen Cox's work plumbs the depths of history through his use of traditional materials and sculptural techniques. Peregrine, carved from a single piece of Indian granite and weighing 15 tonnes, is evidence of Cox's preoccupation with carving in stone and his long-standing interest in Indian sculpture.

Cox established a studio in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, in the 1980s, where local craftsmen 'rough out' his works in Indian granite. These craftsman call upon ancient sculptural traditions, handed down from generations of previous stone carvers, that are appropriated by Cox to create works that are often self-referential in nature.

Cox's work can be characterised by his tendency to leave works seemingly incomplete, thereby investigating the tension between suspension and completion. Many works juxtapose the highly polished with the roughly hewn which, whilst in-keeping with the sensual nature of his work, draws attention to the collective nature of Indian stone carving, its techniques and history. With this in mind, Peregrine makes us aware of, and is a tribute to, the continuity and longevity of a seminal sculptural tradition.