From the Centre
- Greg Johns

‘I have not had a solo exhibition in Sydney since 2007. This is, on a personal level, an exhibition I have been looking forward to for a long time.

The exhibition focuses on my figurative sculpture, which is influenced by a deep, subterranean reading of the Australian landscape. A number of the round ‘mandala’ forms are also shown. As John Neylon (the author of the two monographs published on my work) has commented, these figurative pieces, influenced by the Australian landscape, are connected to and descend from the larger picture; universal forces, which the mandala forms symbolically represent. The local is connected to the universal.’

‘The intention environmentally is to make a contribution in what clearly now is a climate emergency. Culturally, the development of an Australian sculptural sensibility, which at the same time has connections with universal, symbolic and spiritual questions, is centrally important to me.

In 2023 the digital world may now be the reality which most people spend their time engaging. In a time when entertainment, overwhelming and continual input, rapid change and loss of connection with the natural world shape us culturally I see large scale public sculpture as providing a tether to timeless aspects of reality. In respect to this contemporary mythology, questions of spirit, connections to our profound landscape, and the continual unfolding of the story/ journey of sculpture worldwide, all provide significant input for the ongoing development of my sculpture. In the 21^st century we must continue to ask questions in all of the areas that the arts explore. It is our responsibility to reveal (and take care of) the sense of wonder which is expressed so profoundly by our natural world.’

– Greg Johns, 2023