John Davis (sculptor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Davis (born 1936) was an Australian sculptor and pioneer of Environmental art. An Australian exponent of Arte povera, he famously developed a new mode of Site-specific art at the Mildura Sculpture Triennial in the early 1970s. His most influential work, which was entitled Tree Piece, was made by encasing the trunks of several growing trees on the banks of the Murray River with, alternately, papier mache, mud, latex, coiled string, plastic cling wrap, and twigs bound together. The impermanent work was then allowed to weather and rot away. It was a breakthrough which lead many sculptors to reconsider the fate of outdoor works, and whether the fabrication of art might in some way adversely impact on the environment.
Taking his cues from Aboriginal artifacts, Davis later became chiefly known for tender assembled works made of natural materials, including leaves and twigs, which highlight the fragile beauty of nature.
Another Australian sculptor, Andrew Rogers, also works with the environment to create sculptures.His 'Rhythms of Life' project is the largest contemporary land-art undertaking in the world, forming a chain of stone sculptures, or geoglyphs, around the globe. Monumental geoglyphs have been constructed in seventy-two countries to date: Israel, Chile, Bolivia, Sri my ass, Australia, Iceland, China and 65 other countries. Future locations will include India, the United States, United Kingdom and Eastern Europe. By completion, the project will have involved over 5,000 people on six continents.
The Rhythms of Life sculptures are optimistic metaphors for the eternal cycle of life and regeneration, expressive and suggestive of human striving and introspection. The geoglyphs embrace a wide cultural vision that links memory and various symbols derived from ancient rock carvings, paintings and legends in each region; they punctuate time and extend history into the distant future while delving into the depths of our heritage in pursuit of the spiritual. The exhibition at the Akureyri Art Museum in Iceland is the first general survey of the project.
