ANGUS TAYLOR

(b.1970 Pretoria, South Africa)

“You can only write poetry in a language you know.” – Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor is known for his powerful, often monumental, sculptural works made from materials from his immediate environment - Belfast granite, red jasper and the orange earth found near Johannesburg. Although he references traditional South African crafting techniques, his works are unmistakably contemporary. Taylor’s craftsmanship, bold and visionary approach and his original use of materials has resulted in many ambitious public and private commissions around the world.

Taylor is a graduate of the University of Pretoria, which awarded him an Alumni Laureate in 2005. He currently teaches part-time at the University of Pretoria and served as advisor to the Tshwane University of Technology.

In 1997, Taylor established Dionysus Sculpture Works, a studio and workshop combining all aspects of sculpture production: from conceptualisation to clay modelling, carving to casting. He casts his own and other prominent sculptors’ work including Deborah Bell, Norman Catherine and Sam Nhlenghthwa,, and also nurtures the talent of young and developing artists.

In addition to numerous solo and group shows, Taylor is actively involved in producing large-scale commissions for national and local government, as well as for the private sector. These include the Solomon Mahlangu statue in Mamelodi, the statue of Chief Tshwane in front of the Pretoria City Hall, as well as the work commemorating South African anti-apartheid Afropop singer, Brenda Fassie, in Newtown Johannesburg.

In establishing a recognisable presence in the world of public art over the past decades, Taylor has harnessed aspects of monumentality combined with a fresh reassessment of materials to create his own visual idiolect. In his view of “public art without an agenda”, referring to the absence of political and cultural baggage of the past, he replaced traditional heroes with male and female figures portraying something of the heroism of the common person, transcending overt stereotypes. Therefore, his sculptures read as neither black nor white, but rather as inclusive and above all accessible and inviting forms.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022       Angus Taylor & Rina Stutzer Tswalu Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg

2021       Quarried Consciousness, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2020       Immanence | Transcendence, Everard Read, London, UK  

2017      In the middle of it, Everard Read, London, UK & Everard Read, Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa

2015      New Work, Fried Contemporary, Pretoria, South Africa

2014       From Explicit to Implicit, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2011       Biography of Material, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2010       New Work, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Klont. Dialoog met Grond, Aardklop National Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

2008      Momentary Permanence, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2006      Deduct, University of Johannesburg; University of Potchefstroom; Grande Provence Gallery, South Africa

2005       Recent Works, Artspace, Johannesburg, South Africa

2004       Solo Exhibition, Dorpstraat Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2003       Barefoot, Baggage Free, Bronze Age Sculpture House, SimonsTown, South Africa

               Barefoot, Baggage Free, Mind’s-i, Pretoria, South Africa

2000       Africana & Other Baggage, Gallery 88, Sasolburg, South Africa

1999       Africana & Other Baggage, The Open Window Contemporary Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022       Spring, group show, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

               Things I’d like to remember, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

                Sculpture on the Cliffs, Hermanus FynArts Festival, Hermanus, South Africa

2021      Absolutely Fabulous Spring Show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

                In Conversation, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2020       Odyssey, Everard Read, SA & UK

               SUMMER 2020, Everard Read, London, UK

               The Portrait Show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Staring Straight to the Future (online exhibition in support of the Solidarity Fund), Everard Read, SA & UK

                Bronze, Steel, Stone & Bone, Everard Read, London, UK

2019       Southern Aspect, Everard Read, London, UK

               Masterpiece Art Fair, Everard Read, London, UK

2018       Opening exhibition, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

2017       FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Art Angels Africa Auction, London, UK

2016       Bronze, Steel & Stone, Everard Read, London, UK

                A Place in Time, Nirox Foundation, Krugersdorp, South Africa

2015       Bronze, Steel & Stone, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

               1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, with Everard Read, London, UK

               FNB Art Fair, Everard Read Gallery Booth, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Capital: Present, Fried Contemporary, Pretoria, South Africa

2014       FNB Art Fair, Everard Read Gallery Booth, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Summer Showcase, Tokara Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2013      Summer of Sculpture II, Mount Nelson, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

              Sculpt, William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley, South Africa

              After the Rainbow Nation, Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

             FNB Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

             DSW Group Exhibition, Pretoria Art Association, Pretoria, South Africa

2012      Summer of Sculpture, Mount Nelson,  with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

              The Rainbow Nation, Lange Voorhout, Den Hague, Netherlands

              The Winter show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2009      Great South African Nude Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2008       FNB Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2007       Africa, Cork Street Gallery, London, UK

2006       Creative Creatures, Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

                Corpus Colossus, Gordart, Johannesburg, South Africa

2005       Funky Functional, Gordart Gallery, Melville, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Porn Again, Merely Mortal Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

              Absa Atelier National Art Competition, Johannesburg, South Africa

              Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

             Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa

2004       Off the Record - On the Record, Gordart at The Thompson Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa

               Art.co.za Gallery, Parktown North, Johannesburg, South Africa

               Two Man Show, Wizards Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2003       Dawid’s Choice, Dorp Straat Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

               Opening Exhibition, New ‘Bronze Age’ Sculpture House, Simon's Town, South Africa

               St. Valentine’s, Group Exhibition, Mind’s-i, Pretoria, South Africa

              Gallery 88, Sasolburg, South Africa

              Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

             Gordart at the Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2002       Drawing Conclusion, curated by Diane Victor, National Art Association, Johannesburg, South Africa

               WAM, Sasol Wax Group Exhibition, Sasolburg, South Africa

               A Show of Angels, The Open Window Contemporary Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

RESIDENCIES

2021 - 2022        Tswalu, AIR program, Northern Cape, South Africa

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Beelden aan Zee Museum, The Hague, Netherlands

Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa

Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa

Sasol, South Africa

University of Pretoria, South Africa

University of the Freestate, South Africa

Norval Foundation, South Africa

Atterbury Head Office, South Africa

Tokara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Saronsberg Wine Estate, Tulbagh, South Africa

Leeu Collection, South Africa & UK

Ellerman House, South Africa

Oliewenhuis Museum, South Africa

North-West University, Potchefstroom

Pretoria Art Museum, South Africa 

The Marvelous Collection, South Africa 

Tokara Wine Estate, South Africa 

William Humphreys Art Gallery, South Africa

White Rabbit Collection, Sydney, Australia

SELECTED PUBLIC ART AND COMMISSIONS

2019      Holderstebolder, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Delhi, India

             Sculpture Commission for “Shell House”, Johannesburg

             Long ears over wheat ears, donkey ears ago, carved Belfast granite, bronze, steel & concrete, Hazendal Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

2018      Holderstebolder, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Norval Foundation Museum, Cape Town The universal child, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, red jasper, black banded chert, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, Johannesburg

             Dink aan die kleure van ons klippe, “The Club”, Hazelwood, Pretoria

2017       Reflective Resonance, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, Sydney, Australia.

             Equestrian Evolution, carved Belfast  granite, steel & concrete, Kyalami Square, Kyalami

             Dionysus, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Tokara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

             Reflective Resonance, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, Botswana

2016      Portrait of a pig, cast bronze and patina, Eskort Headquarters, Irene

             Homing the future, homing the past, cast bronze, steel, stainless steel, Corner Place, Pretoria

             Homage to the foundation on which everything is built, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, 1 on Mutual, Pretoria

             Entangled Head in Bronze III Sculpture Commission for Rand Merchant Bank, Sandton

            Conduit, Rammed earth and stone, Saronsberg Estate, Tulbagh

2015      Three little pigs, cast concrete, bronze and patina, Stellenbosch Square

            Reflective Resonance, Cast bronze & Belfast Granite, Klein Dassenberg Wine Estate, Franschhoek Belated wake

            (floating heads), rammed earth, cement fondu, stone,Namibia 

             Longview, carved Belfast Granite, Gordons Bay

2014      Lady on a donkey, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pretoria

2013      Untitled, mixed media sculpture, Northcliff square, Johannesburg.

              Untitled, mixed media installation, Hatfield Growthpoint properties, Pretoria.

              Untitled, mixed media installation, Cradlestone Mall, Krugersdorp.

              Adam Kok III, Life size Bronze, Heritage project, Pretoria.

2012       Van hier tot daar, permanent slate installation, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein.

              Pixley Ka Seme, Life size bronze, Heritage project, Bloemfontein.

              Layers of mind, mixed media sculpture, OBZ Square, University of Cape Town.

              Layers of mind and metal, permanent mixed media installation, Newcastle Mall, Newcastle.

              Layers of Being, The Rainbow Nation, Contemporary South African Sculpture, Lange Voorhout Museum Beelden aan zee, Den Haag

              A crossing of tangible truths, Mixed media installation, Platinum square, Rustenburg

2011       Grounded,Ungrounded I and II, Bronze cast, Lynnwood Bridge, Pretoria

              Grounded, Rammed Earth and Bronze cast, Eldo square, Eldoraigne, Pretoria

2010      The One Brother and the Dark Cloud, Cast bronze & stainless steel, Corner of Eastwood and Park street (by Loftus Versfeld Stadium), Pretoria

             Little Mamma Africa, permanent slate installation at Atteridgeville Super Stadium in conjunction with Dionysus sculpture works

             Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Whistler, Vancouver, Canada

            Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Damme, Belgium

           Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Apple Mac Head Quarters, Johannesburg

           Hier, a permanent slate installation at Ellerman House, Bantry Bay, Cape Town

           Drift, a biodegradable installation for Aardklop, Potchefstroom Botanical Gardens

           Adrift, granite head at Waterkloof Corner Shopping Centre, Pretoria

2009      Momentary Permanence, Belfast granite and bronze figures at Brooklyn bridge, Pretoria

2008      Centenary Sculptures, Granite and Bronze cast, Merensky Library walkway, University of Pretoria

             Three Granite Figures, Granite, University of Pretoria

2007      Co-presence (Apollonian-Dionysian), Steel and stainless steel cast, Irene Village Mall, Centurion 

AWARDS

2017       Helgaard Steyn Award for Sculpture

2010       Aardklop Festival Artist

2005      University of Pretoria, Alumni Laureate

1994      Best Sculpture Student (UP)

1994      1st Prize - PPC Young Sculptors Award