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About The Artist
Artist Biography
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 Nhlengethwa, 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 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.
Taylor currently works and lives in Pretoria, South Africa.
Artist CV
Born in 1970 in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa
Works in Pretoria, South Africa
Education
BA Fine Arts Degree – University of Pretoria
Employment
1994 – 1995 Tutor at University of Pretoria – Fine art drawing & Sculpture
1996 – 1997 Ashanti Art Foundry - Manager
1997 – Current, Self-employed – Dionysus Sculpture Works
Part Time Lecturer - Pretoria Technikon, University of Pretoria and The Open Window
Awards
1994 Best Sculpture Student (UP)
1994 1st Prize – PPC Young Sculpture Award
Solo Exhibitions
1999: Africana & Other Baggage - The Open Window Contemporary Gallery (Pretoria)
2000: Africana & Other Baggage - Gallery 88 (Sasolburg)
2003: Barefoot, baggage free - Bronze Age Sculpture House (Simonstown)
2003: Barefoot, baggage free - Mind's-I (Pretoria)
2004: Recent work - Dorpstraat Gallery (Stellenbosch)
2005: Corporeal - Art Space (Johannesburg)
2006: Deduct - University of Johannesburg Art Gallery (Johannesburg)
2006: Deduct - Grand Provence Gallery (Francshhoek)
2006: Deduct - Campus Gallery (Potchefstroom)
2008: Momentary Permanence - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
2010: New Work - CIRCA on Jellicoe (Johannesburg)
2010: Re-visiting the Aardklop Exhibition - CIRCA on Jellicoe (Johannesburg)
2010: 'Klont. Dialoog met Grond' - Aardklop (Potchefstroom)
2011: Bibliography of material - Everard Read (Cape Town)
2014: From Explicit to Implicit - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
2015: New Work - Fried Contemporary (Pretoria)
2017: In the middle of it - Everard Read Gallery, London (UK)
2017: In the middle of it - Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg)
2017: In the middle of it - Everard Read Gallery, (Cape Town)
2020: Immanence / Transcendence - Everard Read London (UK)
Group Exhibitions
2002:
Drawing conclusions, curated by Diane Victor - National Art Association (Pretoria)
Sasol Wax group show - WAM (Sasolburg)
A show of angels - The Open Window Contemporary Gallery (Pretoria)
2003:
Dawid’s choice - Dorpstraat Gallery (Stellenbosch
)
Opening exhibition - Bronze Age Sculpture House (Simonstown)
St. Valentine's - Mind's-I (Pretoria)
Group exhibition - Gallery 88 (Sasolburg)
Opening exhibition - Gordart @ The Thompson Gallery (Johannesburg)
2004:
Off the record - on the record - Aardklop Art Festival (Potchefstroom)
Off the record - on the record - Gordart (Johannesburg)
DSW exhibition - Gordart @ The Thompson Gallery (Johannesburg)
Opening exhibition - Art.co.za Gallery (Johannesburg)
Angus Taylor & Jacqueline Crewe-Brown - Wizards Gallery, Hyde Park Corner (Johannesburg)
CowParade for CHOC - Sotheby's and Stephan Welz auction (Johannesburg)
2005:
Funky Functional - Gordart (Johannesburg)
Porn Again - Merely Mortal (Johannesburg)
Absa Atelier National Art Competition Exhibition - ABSA (Johannesburg
)
Group exhibition - Oliewenhuis Museum (Bloemfontein
)
2006:
Corpus Colossus - Gordart (Johannesburg)
Creative Creatures - Aardklop (Potchefstroom)
2007:
The DAVID Exhibition curated by Lisa Essers - Michelangelo Towers (Johannesburg)
Decadence - Grand Provence Gallery (Franschhoek)
Africa - Cork Street Gallery (London)
2008:
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
2009:
Great South African Nude Exhibition - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
Dorsiduct - 47 Market Street (George)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
2010:
Twenty: South African Sculpture of the Last Two Decades - Nirox Sculpture Park (Johannesburg)
Divisions: Aspects of South African Art 1948 – 2010 - SMAC Gallery (Stellenbosch)
Games People Play - Fried Contemporary (Pretoria)
University of Pretoria Visual Art Staff Exhibition - Fried Contemporary (Pretoria)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
Sculpture Garden, Opening exhibition - IS Art (Franschhoek)
Group show - Trent Art (Pretoria)
Artists to Save the Environment - Trent Art (Pretoria)
2011:
Angus Taylor & Jacqueline Crewe-Brown - Is Art (Franschhoek)
Site Specific Group Show - Plettenberg bay
Room mates with Paul Boulitreau - Potchefstroom and UJ Art Gallery (Johannesburg)
Dislodge (loswikkel), Angus Taylor and Rina Stutzer - UJ art gallery (Johannesburg)
The horse show - Nirox Foundation (Johannesburg)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
Twenty: Stellenbosch - SMAC Gallery (Stellenbosch)
Tokara Delicatessen (Franschhoek)
Dimensions - Fried contemporary (Pretoria)
2012:
The Rainbow Nation, Contemporary South African Sculpture - Lange Voorhout Museum Beelden aan zee (Den Haag)
The Rainbow nation, Contemporary South African Sculpture - Museum Beelden aan zee (Den Haag)
The Winter show, Group show - Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg)
The Winter show, Group show - Everard Read Gallery (Cape Town)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
2013:
Heavy metal, Southern Guild Group exhibition, - Woodstock foundry (Cape Town)
Hiernamaals, Group land art exhibition - Plettenburg bay
3 Avenue Marina, Private Group exhibition - IS Art (Franschhoek)
After the Rainbow Nation - Nirox sculpture park (Cradle of Humankind)
Engage Group Exhibition - Pretoria Art Association (Pretoria)
Group exhibition - William Humphreys Art Gallery (Kimberly)
DSW Group Exhibition - Pretoria Art Association (Pretoria)
Centenary Exhibition - Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg)
Re-envisioning the Anglo-Boer War Exhibition - University of the Free State (Bloemfontein)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
WWF auction - Everard Read gallery (Johannesburg)
Sydney contemporary Art Fair - Sydney (Australia)
Centenary Exhibition - Everard Read Gallery (Cape Town)
2014:
Jozi Site Specific - Emmarentia Dam (Johannesburg)
Nirox Winter Sculpture Fair Group Exhibition - Nirox sculpture park (Cradle of Humankind)
Tokara Summer Showcase Group Exhibition - Tokara Wine Estate (Stellenbosch)
July Showcase group exhibition - IS Art Gallery (Franschhoek)
30 x 30 met word en beeld group exhibition - Breytenbach Gallery (Wellington)
Joburg Art Fair with Everard Read - Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg)
Cool Capital DIY Guerilla Biennale (Pretoria)
Syncopation group exhibition - Clover Aardklop Arts Festival (Potchefstroom)
2015:
Capital: Present group exhibition - Fried Contemporary (Pretoria)
Gran Cavallo group-exhibition, World Art Day - Pretoria Arts Association (Pretoria)
Drawing exhibition - Fried Contemporary (Pretoria)
Bronze steel & stone group exhibition - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
1:54 London Art Fair - Somerset House (London)
2016:
Bronze steel & stone group exhibition - Mount Nelson Hotel (Cape Town)
Tacit: 20 years on, Travelling Group Exhibition in celebration of DSW’s 20th birthday
2017:
Art Angels Africa Auction - London (UK)
FNB Joburg Art Fair (Johannesburg)
2019:
Southern Aspect - Everard Read, London (UK)
Masterpiece Art Fair - London (UK)
2020:
TINY - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
The Portrait Show - Everard Read (Johannesburg)
Staring Straight to the Future (online exhibition) - Everard Read
Bronze, Steel, Stone & Bone - Everard Read, London (UK)
Masterpiece Art Fair (Online) - Everard Read, London (UK)
Public Art
2007: Co-presence (Apollonian-Dionysian), Steel and stainless steel cast, Irene Village Mall, Centurion
2008: Centenary Sculptures, Granite and Bronze cast, Merensky Library walkway, University of Pretoria
2008: Three Granite Figures, Granite, University of Pretoria
2009: Momentary Permanence, Belfast granite and bronze figures at Brooklyn bridge, Pretoria
2010:
Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Apple Mac Head Quarters, Johannesburg
Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Damme, Belgium.
Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Whistler, Vancouver, Canada
Hier, a permanent slate installation at Ellerman House, Bantrey Bay, Cape Town
Little Mamma Africa, permanent slate installation at Attreridgeville Super Stadium in conjunction with Dionysus sculpture works
Drift, a biodegradable installation for Aardklop, Potchefstroom Botanical Gardens
The One Brother and the Dark Cloud, Cast bronze & stainless steel, Corner of Eastwood and Park street (by Loftus Versfeld Stadium), Pretoria
Adrift, granite head at Waterkloof Corner Shopping Centre, Pretoria
2011:
Grounded, Rammed Earth and Bronze cast, Eldo square, Eldoraigne, Pretoria
Grounded,Ungrounded I, Bronze cast, Lynnwood Bridge, Pretoria
Grounded,Ungrounded II, Bronze cast, Lynnwood Bridge, Pretoria
2012:
Layers of mind, mixed media sculpture, OBZ Square, University of Cape Town.
Van hier tot daar, Permanent slate installation, University of the Freestate, Bloemfontein.
Layers of Being, The Rainbow Nation, Contemporary South African Sculpture, Lange Voorhout Museum Beelden aan zee, Den Haag.
Layers of mind and metal, Permanent mixed media installation, Newcastle Mall, Newcastle.
A crossing of tangible truths, Mixed media installation, Platinum square, Rustenburg.
Pixley Ka Seme, Life size bronze, Heritage project, Bloemfontein.
2013:
Untitled, mixed media installation, Hatfield Growthpoint properties, Pretoria.
Adam Kok III, Life size Bronze, Heritage project, Pretoria.
Untitled, mixed media sculpture, Northcliff square, Johannesburg.
Untitled, mixed media installation, Cradlestone Mall, Krugersdorp.
2014:
Untitled, mixed media sculpture, Waterfall development, Midrand.
Untitled, mixed media sculpture, Kayalami mall, Pretoria.
Lady on a donkey, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pretoria
2015:
Longview, carved Belfast Granite, Gordons Bay
Reflective Resonance, Cast bronze & Belfast Granite, Klein Dassenberg Wine Estate, Franschhoek
Belated wake (floating heads), rammed earth, cement fondu, stone, Namibia
Three little pigs, cast concrete, bronze and patina, Stellenbosch Square
2016:
Conduit, Rammed earth and stone, Saronsberg Estate, Tulbach
Think Africa Sculpture Commission for Rand Merchant Bank (Upcoming)
Sculpture Commission for University of Johannesburg (Upcoming)
Sculpture Commission for City Property (Upcoming)
Sculpture Commission for Eskort (Upcoming)
Sculpture Commission for Tokara Wine Estate (Upcoming)
Awards
1994: The Eduardo Villa Best Sculpture Student (University of Pretoria)
1994: 1st Prize - PPC Young Sculptors Award
2005: University of Pretoria, Alumni Laureate
2010: Aardklop Festival artist
2017: Helgaard Steyn Award for Sculpture
Work in collections
Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa
Sasol, South Africa
Norval Foundation Museum, Steenberg, Cape Town, South Africa
Nirox Foundation Collection and Sculpture Park, Krugersdorp, South Africa
Beelden aan Zee Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa
University of Pretoria, South Africa
University of the Freestate, South Africa
North-West University, Potchesfstroom, South Africa
Also in many other national and international corporate collections as well as private collections.
Articles
Anon. 1994. Free to be enterprising. Pretoria News, Oct.
Anon. 1994. Beyond the realm of art. Pretoria News, Oct.
Frohling, Geraldine. 1999. Unusual background nurtures talented artist. Pretoria News, Oct. 12.
Philips, Franci. 1999. A different angle on history. Pretoria News, Oct. 19.
Colson, Michael. 1999. Arts & Leisure. Financial Mail, Oct, 15.
Du Preez, Amanda. 1999. Boere-bagasie verbeeld. Beeld, Oct. 26.
Vermeulen, Elsje. 1999. “Weird” Taylor beskou as ‘n tweede van Wouw.
Vaalweekblad, Feb. 9.
Rayn, Myrtle. 2000. Giant David gets SA perspective. Sunday Tribune, Aug. 27.
Funke, Nikki. 2000. Size does matter. Perdeby, Aug. 28.
Snyman, Dana. 2001. Dawid se Moses. Huisgenoot. Feb. 8.
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