In January this year, Phillip Luxton was one of thirteen invited ceramicists to the Ceramics Symposium in Dunedin. This was the initial bringing together of a group that will represent New Zealand at the FAENZA International Ceramics Concorso in Italy in 1991. Luxton continued to explore the challenges of producing large scale sculptural work.
Central to his installation of work in the Sculpture Court is an earlier piece, Gate, 1986 (also known as Large Sculpture). This monumental work in its physical presence in unwittingly smaller than it appears. This sense of size in the work is emphasized by the simplicity of design, which shows association to the grace and delicacy of its Japanese model. The use of a heavily grogged clay is accentuated only by the macho of the working hands constructing the piece. Lichens and moss begin to grow and colour the surface, creating a natural surface decoration. These objects are of course for installation in the landscape, and one day they may be consumed by it.
Press
→ A search for cultural depth, New Zealand Herald, 25-08-1988