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

Angus Taylor is known for his powerful, often monumental, sculptural works incorporating materials from his immediate environment – Belfast granite, red jasper and the orange earth found in Gauteng. Although he references traditional South African crafting techniques, his works are unmistakably contemporary. Taylor’s craftsmanship, his bold and visionary approach, and his original use of materials have 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. This studio and workshop combine all aspects of sculpture production, from conceptualisation to clay modelling, from carving to casting. He produces his own and other prominent sculptors’ work, including that of Deborah Bell, Norman Catherine and Sam Nhlengethwa. He also nurtures the talent of young and developing artists. In 2024 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by UNISA in South Africa. 

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.