Simon Gilby, Apollo: Grounded (detail)
Space age
04 May 2004
In what is his first solo exhibition in 12 years, WA sculptor Simon Gilby presents an exhibition of sensual new sculptures entitled Orbit.
Since graduating from the Claremont School of Art in 1989, Gilby has played a prominent role in the national arts scene, showing his work regularly in group exhibitions, teaching adults and young people, and undertaking public art commissions.
Gilby’s strong social conscience has led him to work in small towns and communities across WA, from Albany and Joondalup to Monkey Mia and the Kalgoorlie/ Coolgardie Aboriginal communities.
His work is represented in several key Australian collections, including those of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Parliament House of Western Australia.
For Orbit, Gilby has created sculptural forms and figures focusing on issues of isolation, reverence and eroticism.
The works are inspired by the astronauts of the Apollo Mission, primarily their vulnerability and courage in the vast emptiness of outer space. Gilby in turn uses this theme as a springboard into broader, more universal concerns. Works such as Apollo: Grounded I, for instance, raise questions about the pursuit of extreme individualism to the detriment of our sense of community and social responsibility.
Another significant portion of the exhibition is dedicated to the fragile and erotic nature of the most intimate elements of the female figure.
Gilby’s immense technical skill and inventiveness make for sculptural works of great beauty and poignancy. His figures draw inspiration from an unusual collection of forms, from leaves and feathers to moths and whales.
Although he is by no means a new face on the arts scene, Gilby is consistently an artist to look out for.
More Information
Orbit: Simon Gilby
7 – 30 May
Gallery East, 94 Stirling Highway, North Fremantle WA
Details: (08) 9336 6231
Website: http://www.galleryeast.com.au/
