Untitled, 2003
copper
223 x 46 x 9 cm
Provenance
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
A commission from the artist through Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery circa 2003
‘When the ideas, the formal elements and the medium all work together a sculpture will 'sing' with a kind of rightness. It takes on a life, a presence, which is removed from this world. It belongs to a mythical other life, without a place in time.’ (Graeme Sturgeon, Contemporary Australian Sculpture, Craftsman House, Sydney 1991, p. 74)
The motif of a snakelike coil of copper with a loop began in 1991 with Curlicue, which Oliver described as being “like signing your name”. The forms are difficult to interpret, bearing resemblances to cursive script as much as serpents. But the titles of related works (Cascadeor Trace, for example) point to a more ephemeral source of inspiration like the flow of water.
This particular sculpture was commissioned through Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, the gallery that represented Oliver throughout her career. It has a sort of gravity-defying levity, giving the impression that, while made of metal, it is floating upon the wall. An exemplar of her unique metalwork practice, the sculpture is comprised of thousands of copper filaments that are welded together to construct the larger form. It has, though, an unusual and distinctive feature – the sharp corner underneath the initial loop, a rare angular flourish that contrasts beautifully with the fluidity of the work as a whole.
Image courtesy of the Estate of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney