Stephen Cox

Description

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 draws attention to the collective nature of Indian stone carving, its techniques and history.

These contrasting textures are in-keeping with the often sensual nature of Cox's work. The sensuality of Peregrine is made all the more explicit during it's ritualistic anointment. Cox's propensity to anoint his works takes on a spiritual and formal function; not only is it an allusion to Hindu culture (where anointment is freely practiced) but, as the artist has stated, 'I was absolutely transfixed by the fact that you've got this grey form and you pour oil on it, and its path goes completely black and takes on the form of something I was trying to say in the shape.'

With this in mind, Peregrine bridges the gap between cultures whilst making us aware of, and being a tribute to, the continuity and longevity of a seminal sculptural tradition.