Stephen Cox

Description

One of the earliest sculptures that Stephen Cox made in India was Etruscan 1985, four oval heads emerging from slabs of granite to represent the four senses: taste, sight, hearing and smell. The oval, a form which has recurred in Cox's sculpture over many years, represents the 'Cosmic Egg' that floated in the primal waters, according to Hindu belief, and is used here as a basic sculptural device to support the features - mouth, eyes, ears and nose.

The extended, vertical oval form is also used in Hindu imagery as a lingum. Anointed with oil and worshipped, this symbol of male fertility has been engaged by Cox as a vehicle for the organs of action - mouth, anus, penis, hands and legs. They stand, taller than man, in a circle, reminiscent of ancient standing stones, and anointed with oil as in a puja or prayer. The hollow in which the stones are placed at Hat Hill contains the sculpture perfectly. It was once a flint mine, the flint stones from which were used in the construction of the fine wall which encloses two sides of the copse.

Granite is one of the oldest stones in the earth's crust and, for Cox, bears a mystical significance. It is hard to work, and the artist's intervention becomes a mark for all time.