JOHN EDGAR

1. Cube (Marble / Red Cross) (2012), Carrara marble (Italy), glass, size: 187 x 186 x 187 mm

2. Cube (Serpentine / Red Cross) (2012), Rajasthan serpentine (India), glass, size: 144 x 143 x 148 mm

3. Equality (2012)

Bangalore granite (India), glass, size: 96 x 315 x 298 mm

4. Spindle (2012)

Rajasthan sandstone (India), size: 120 x 681 x 120 mm

5. Capsule (2012)

Takaka Marble (New Zealand), glass, size: 167 x 672 x 167 mm

6. Gold Lens (2012) Rajasthanlimestone&sandstone(India) size(vxø):56x246mm

7. Red Lens (2012) Bangaloregranite(India),Coromandel granite(New Zealand) size(vxø):67x294mm

8. White Lens (2012) Carraramarble(Italy),NegroMarquinamarble(Spain) size(vxø):50x247mm

9. Green Lens (2012) Rajasthanserpentine&granite(India) size(vxø):53x248mm

10. Black Lens (2012) Bangaloregranite(India),Carraramarble(Italy) size(vxø):67x294mm

11. Multiply (2012)

Bangalore granite (India), Rajasthan serpentine (India) size (v x ø): 65 x 157 mm

12. Function (2012)

Coromandel granite (New Zealand), Corrennie granite (Scotland) size (v x ø): 70 x 186 mm

13. Saltire (2012) Bangalore granite (India) size (v x ø): 75 x 250 mm

16. Lightstone (White / Green Cross) (2012) Carraramarble(Italy),glass size(vx ø):26x79mm

14. Lightstone (White / Blue Cross) (2012) Carraramarble(Italy),glass size(vx ø):26x79mm

15. Lightstone (White / Red Cross) (2012) Carraramarble(Italy),glass size(vxø):23x77mm

17. Operator [16390] (2012) NegroMarquinamarble(Spain),Carraramarble(Italy) size(vxø):27x80mm

18. Operator [16391] (2012) Carraramarble(Italy),NegroMarquinamarble(Spain) size(vx ø):27x84mm

19. Operator [16392] (2012) Rajasthangranite(India),glass size(vxø):27x80mm

20. Exchange [16387] (2012) silestone(Spain),Rajasthangranite(India) size(vx ø):27x85mm

21. Exchange [16388] (2012) silestone(Spain),Rajasthangranite(India) size(vxø):27x79mm

22. Exchange [16389] (2012) silestone(Spain),Rajasthangranite(India) size(vx ø):27x85mm

John Edgar has produced a suite of elegant and subtle forms for his latest exhibition In Transit. From small stones that can be held and caressed in the hand, to weighty sculptural works, all possess an exceptional finish and a fine balance of materials.

The translucent glass inserts in Capsule reinforce the opacity of the crystalline Takaka marble used in the work. The five lines seem illuminated from within as light is diffused through the glass, and the glow softens the studied symmetry of the piece. The same effect can be seen in the Cube works, where the bifurcated crosses of glass add an element of contradiction; the eye attempts to understand the internal structure of the sculpture where quadrants of stone appear to ‘float’ and glass cores are at once clear and dark.

Of a similar profile to Capsule, the more elongated form of Spindle features three deep grooves carved into the reddish-brown Rajasthani sandstone. Simplicity of form, the fine, dense grain and rich hue of the material combine to create a work of understated beauty. The polished stone is tactile and rewards handling with an impeccably smooth, unbroken surface.

Disc-shaped, the lenses are new forms for Edgar and after viewing the Transit of Venus in June, he speaks of them as “expressions of transit.” For Edgar, seeing “the transit of Venus as a small black dot slowly crossing the radiant disc of the sun” (1) visually reinforced the concept of ‘place’ in the solar system. Balanced on their central cores, the lenses illustrate a singular point in time and place, as well as referencing three-dimensional planes of orbit. Viewed from the side they appear to hover in space, defying their mass and volume; placed in natural light, the orbit of the Earth is revealed in real time as shadows wax and wane about each lens.

1. John Edgar, Artist’s Statement, July 2012

JOHN EDGAR

b. 1950, lives Auckland

Acclaimed sculptor John Edgar has been exhibiting since 1979 including three New Zealand public touring exhibitions “Calculus” 2002-2004, “Lie Of The Land” 1998-1999, and “Making Amends” 1993-1995. In 2004, Edgar installed a major commission at the Auckland Domain titled ‘Transformer’.

"Edgar has been slicing, altering and reassembling banded stones since the early 1980s; it is perhaps his signature mark as a stone sculptor. They range from pebblesized stones that can be held in the palm of your hand... to the towering red and grey granite-banded 'Transformer' in the Auckland Domain that reaches to more than three-and-a-half metres and with a giant banded boulder nearby, one of the hand sized pebbles writ very large indeed." (1)

Edgar sculpts natural stone into abstract compositions with a strong reference to visual texture, “ the oneness of duality” (2), the passing of time and the process of dissecting and transforming natural formations into artefacts, so that they become part of the human environment.

John Edgar is an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to art, in particular sculpture.

1. Peter Simpson, 'Array, Arc & Ballast', Art New Zealand, Summer 2009, pg 32.

2. John Edgar, Artist Statement, November, 2001.

JOHN EDGAR

b. 1950, lives Auckland

EDUCATION

1972 B.Sc. (Hons). University of N.S.W. Sydney

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2012 In Transit, milford galleries queenstown

2009 Arc, Artis Gallery, Auckland

2008 Array, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2006 Core, Artis Gallery, Auckland

2004 Phases, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

2003 Flags, Artis Gallery, Auckland

2002 Calculus, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt; Millennium Gallery, Blenheim; Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin; Canterbury Museum, Christchurch; Rotorua Museum, Rotorua; Ashburton Art Gallery, Ashburton; Manawatu Museum, Palmerston North; Auckland Museum, Auckland

2001 Sum, Artis Gallery, Auckland

2000 Range, Avid, Wellington

1999 Digit, Artis Gallery, Auckland

1998/99 Lie of the Land, Auckland Museum; Auckland; Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt; McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch; Southland Art Gallery, Invercargill; Suter Art Gallery, Nelson; Sarjeant Art Gallery, Whanganui; Hawke’s Bay Museum, Napier; Waikato Museum, Hamilton

1996 Cross Country, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere; Hawkes Bay Exhibition Centre, Hastings; Gisborne Museum & Arts Centre, Gisborne; Whakatane Museum & Gallery, Whakatane Insignia, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

Fisher Art Gallery, Auckland

1995 Badge, Fluxus, Dunedin

1994 Light Relief, Fingers, Auckland

1993/95 Making Amends, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt; Southland Museum & Art Gallery, Invercargill; Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch; Left Bank Gallery, Greymouth; Bishop Suter Art Gallery, Nelson; Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North; Rotorua Art & History Museum, Rotorua; Auckland Museum, Auckland

1993 Panacea, Fluxus, Dunedin; Crawford Gallery, Sydney.

1992 Making Ends Meet, Fingers, Auckland.

1989 Stone Lines, Survey Exhibition 1977-1989, National Museum, Wellington; Auckland Museum

1988 Land Tokens, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

Stones in Glass Houses, Villas Gallery, Wellington

Rock Erosion, Fingers, Auckland

1986 In China, Villas Gallery, Wellington

1984 Cardinal Points, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

1983 Signs of the Comet, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

1981 Detachments, Auckland Museum, Auckland.

1979 On the Tail of a Dragon, Denis Cohn Gallery, Auckland.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2012 Small Works, milford galleries queenstown

2011 Traverse, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2009 Masterworks, milford galleries queenstown

2008-2010 Glass Invitational New Zealand, Touring Nationwide

2008 Masterworks, milford galleries queenstown

Selected Works, milford galleries queenstown

2007 Summer Show, milford galleries queenstown

2006 Object, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2005 Form Fire Art, Artis Gallery, Auckland Spirit of Sculpture, St Matthews, Auckland Homework, Avid, Wellington

Group Show, Fingers, Auckland

Annual Exhibition, Ron Sang, Auckland

Group, Studio 66, Gisborne

2004 Art in the Woolshed, Tawharanui Regional Park, Coming of Age, Masterworks, Auckland

Generation 50, Te Wa Gallery, Whanganui

South, Fingers, Auckland

Group, Fingers, Auckland

Sculpture OnShore, Takapuna

Treasures, Masterworks, Auckland

2003 Ranges of Inspiration II, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Waitakere

Sculpture on a Plinth, Waiheke Community Art Gallery

Man, Fingers, Auckland

Group, Fingers, Auckland

Small & Precious, Masterworks, Auckland

Formakers, Sang Architects, Auckland

2002 Fringe of Heaven, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere

Cut & Polished, Avid, Wellington Suite, Fingers, Auckland

Blind Art, Paremata School, Auckland

NZ Sculpture, Becroft Garden, Auckland

Group, Fingers, Auckland

The Changing Landscape, Mahara Gallery, Waikanae

Black Red White, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland

2001 Tane Whakapiripiri, Awataha Marae, Auckland

Showcase, Avid, Wellington

Jade, Masterworks, Auckland

4th Biennial Jewellery, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt; Govett Brewster Gallery, New Plymouth; Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland; Hawke's Bay Museum, Napier; Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin

To Die For, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

Group, Fingers, Auckland

Wearable Catalogue, Manukau Polytechnic, Manukau

Crossing the Divide, Royal Gallery, Auckland

Mana Pounamu, Left Bank Gallery, Greymouth

2000 Karekare Art Auction, Lopdell Gallery, Waitakere

Nothing Comes From Nothing, Aotea Centre Gallery, Auckland

Hot Offerings, Uxbridge Gallery, Manukau

Group, Artis Gallery, Auckland

Millennium Medallions, City Gallery, Wellington

Group Show, Fingers, Auckland

Outdoor Sculpture, North Shore Women’s Refuge My 2K, Marsden Gallery, Featherston

1999 Stop, Artis, Auckland

Group, Fingers, Auckland

Sex Object, Object Gallery, Auckland

Head & Heart, COCA, Christchurch Silver, Fingers, Auckland

Ponamu, Left Bank Gallery, Greymouth

Sculpture 2001 Maquettes, Auckland Museum

Medallions, McPherson Gallery, Auckland

1998 7th National Jade Exhibition, Left Bank Gallery, Greymouth

1997 Contrasts, Fluxus, Dunedin

1996 On Form, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere

Autumn, FHE Gallery, Auckland

The Same But Different, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt; Auckland Museum, Auckland; Otago Museum, Dunedin

Panoply, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

1995 Contemporary Jewellery, Fingers, Auckland

Primetime, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland Spring, FHE Gallery, Auckland

1994 Celebration, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere

Jade Bone Stone, Cave Rock Gallery, Christchurch

1993 Small Worlds, N.Z. Medallions Group, Auckland Museum

Solstice, Fingers, Auckland

Made in Waitakere, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere

1992 Pacific Traces, 33 1/3 Gallery, Wellington.

New Zealand Jewellery, International Gallery, San Diego Sense of Presence, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland

1991 Schmuckszene, International Jewellery, Munich &Dublin Cain, Fingers, Auckland

1988 Bone Stone Shell, Crafts Council Gallery, Wellington; Australian & Asian Tour (1988-1991) Museum of New Zealand, Wellington (1995)

1987 Jade in the Pacific, New Zealand Tour

Winstones Craft Exhibition, Auckland Museum Auckland

1986 New Zealand Jewellery, Details Group, Auckland Museum

1985 Treasures from the Land, New Zealand Crafts, U.S.A. Tour

Pakohe, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt & N.Z. Tour

1984 Souvenirs, Fingers, Auckland.

Kahurangi, New Zealand Crafts, U.S.A. Tour

1983 Details, Fingers, Auckland

1982 Small Treasures for Japan, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

SELECTED COMMISSIONS & AWARDS

2012 Commissioned sculpture for the Savill Garden, Great Windsor Park, United Kingdom

2008 Awarded ONZM (Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to art.

2005 Designed New Zealand War Memorial for Korea (with Fred Graham)

Established Wairau Sculpture Workshop in Glendene, Waitakere City

2004 Completed granite sculpture Transformer for Auckland Domain

2003 Design & make Icon awards for Arts Foundation of New Zealand

1997 Design & make Medallions for Auckland Museum Honours (annual awards)

1986 Attended First Stone Sculpture Symposium, Auckland

1987 Attended Second Stone Sculpture Symposium, Auckland

1988 Attended Third Stone Sculpture Symposium, Auckland

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2010 Simpson, Peter, “Array, Arc & Ballast’, Art New Zealand, No 132, Summer 2009, Pp 32-34

2001 Simpson, Peter, "Sum - John Edgar At Artis Gallery", Sunday Star Times, October 21, 2001

2001 Mcnamara, T.J., "Infrared To Ultraviolet", NZ Herald, October 15, 2001

2001 Smythe, Micheal, "Only Way Up", NZ Herald, February 23, 2001

2001 "Sum" Set of Six Postcards, October, 2001

2000 Schamroth, Helen, "Cross-Over Art", Object, No. 3, 2000, Pp20-22

2000 "Sticks & Stones", Capital Times, November, 2000

2000 "Top Investment Artists", NBR, October 13, 2000

2000 Diaz, Deborah, "Artists Take On The West", NZ Herald, September 25, 2000

2000 "A Bridge Much Travelled" Art News NZ, Winter, 2000

2000 Thompson, Wayne, "Sculptor Bridges The Artistic Gap", NZ Herald, May 23, 2000

1999 Digit Exhibition Catalogue, “Words For Stone” Essay By Peter Simpson, ISBN 0-473-06198-8, 1999

1999 Wilson, David, "Grim Analysis", June 16, 1999

1999 Brown, Angela, “The Science of Sculpture", Hawke's Bay Today, June 16, 1999

1999 "News", Whanganui Chronicle, March 18, 1999

1999 Neal, Tracy, “Sculptor Investigates Landforms”, Nelson Mail, January 29, 1999

1998 Baskett, Pat, “The Art of Craft", NZ Herald, October 31, 1998

1998 "Land Metaphor" Christchurch Star, September 2, 1998

1998 Dunbar, Anna, "Edgar Sees Lie of The Land”, The Christchurch Press, September 2, 1998

1998 Amery, Mark, "Artist Leaves His Mark", Evening Post, June 20, 1998

1998 "Critics Choice" NZ Herald, March 14, 1998

1998 Williams, Howard, "Stone Guardians", NZ Herald, Feb 28, 1998

1998 "John Edgar" Western Leader, Feb 24, 1998

1998 Simpson, Peter, “John Edgar & Ilse Von Row", Opening Speech, Auckland Museum, Feb 20, 1999

1998 Schamroth, Helen, "Lie of The Land", Object, No. 4, 1998, Pp24-25

1998 Schamroth, Helen, One Hundred Craft Artists, Batemans, 1998, Pp24

1998 Person, Patricia, Contemporary Jewellery, Craftsman House, 1998, Pp76

1998 Lie of The Land, 20-Minute Video, Director Tony Burrows, 1998

1998 Simpson, Peter, Thinking In Stone, Art New Zealand, No. 88, 1998, Pp64-67

1997 Hall, Laurence, Same But Different, Object, 1997

1996 Curnow, Sue, "Little Gems Bring Rewards", NZ Herald, October 24, 1996 (Review of Same But Different)

1996 Garner, Theresa, “Artist Focuses On Transformation”, The Daily Telegraph, July 31, 1996

1996 "A Research Chemist's Geographical Sculpture", Herald Tribune, July 30, 1996

1996 Curnow, Sue, "Sculptor Aims To Write With Stone", NZ Herald, July 10, 1996

1996 "Artist Fuses Opposites", Western Leader, June 11, 1996

1996 Cross Country, 10-Minute Video, Director Tony Burrows, 1996

1996 Cross Country Exhibition Catalogue, Essay By Brian Opie, 1996

1996 Williams, Howard, "Beyond Craft", NZ Herald, February 21, 1996

1996 Schamroth, Helen, "On Form", Artists Alliance Newsletter, March, 1996

1996 On Form, Exhibition Catalogue, Lopdell Gallery, 1996

1995 Williams, Howard, "Fresh Creativity", NZ Herald, July 26, 1995, Sec 3: P11

1995 Smith, Charmian, "Sculptor Turns His Hand To Metal", Otago Daily Times, May 18, 1995 (Review of Badge)

1995 Phare, Jane, "Karekare Inspirations", NZ Herald, March 15, 1995, Sec 2: P8

1995 Williams, Howard, "Stones That Sing Forever", NZ Herald, March, 1995 (Review of Making Amends)

1995 Mack, James,"Beautiful Objects", The Evening Post, February 1, 1995 (Review of BSS At Monz)

1995 "Contemplative Exhibition" Ann Somerville

1994 Curnow, Sue, "Alchemy In Sculpture", NZ Herald, October 6, 1994 (Review of Light Relief)

1994 "Light Relief", NZ Listener, September 24, 1994, P47 (Critics Choice)

1994 "Focus" The Tribune, August 14, 1994 (Review & Photo of Making Amends)

1994 Bayly, Janet, "Environment At Heart of Work", Evening Startard, July 22, 1994 (Review & Photo of Making Amends)

1994 Curnow, Sue, Review of Waitakere City Festival Exhibition, NZ Herald, June 23, 1994, Sec 2: P8

1994 "Young Fan Makes Copy", Nelson Evening Mail, May 25, 1994 (Re Making Amends)

1994 "Sculptor Aims To Give The Stone Dignity", Nelson Evening Mail, May 11, 1994 (Review of Making Amends)

1994 Aldridge, R., "Engineering of The Imagination", Greymouth Evening Star, April 16, 1994, P3 (Review of Making Amends)

1994 Ussher, Robyn, "Tactile Reconstructions", The Press, March 2, 1994, P16 (Review of Making Amends)

1994 Schamroth, Helen, "Stone By Stone", NZ Listener, February 26, 1994, P44-45 (Review of Making Amends)

1993 Making Amends, Exhibition Catalogue/Poster. October Essay By Helen Schamroth, 1993

1993 Making Amends, 8-Minute Video, Director Stuart Page, 1993

1993 Schamroth, Helen, "John Edgar - Making Amends", NZ Crafts, Issue 43, 1993, Pp32-34

1992 Schamroth, Helen, "John Edgar: Restorer & Healer", NZ Herald, September 17, 1992, Sec 3: P4 (Review of "Making Ends Meet")

1992 Bone Stone Jade, Ed. Donn Salt, Batemans, 1992, Pp37-40 (Biography Written By John Edgar)

1991 Keverne, Roger, Jade, Anness, 1991, P236/257

1989 Renwick, Anne, "Mystical Stone", NZ Listener, November 13, 1989, Pp136-137

1989 Baskett, Pat, "Stone Forms Embrace Past & Future Arts", NZ Herald, November 13, 1989

1989 Price, Graham, "John Edgar's Stonelines", NZ Crafts, Issue 29, 1989, Pp17-20

1989 Gilchrist, Michael, "Time To Romance The Stone", NBR Weekend Review, August 18, 1989 (Review of Stonelines)

1989 QEII National Trust Newsletter Pp3-5 (Presentation To Queen Elizabeth)

1989 Owens, Susa, "Pacific Treasures", Sydney Morning Herald, January 13, 1989 (Review of BSS) (Photograph Only)

1988 Schamroth, Helen, "Exquisite Stone Carving", NZ Herald, 1988 (Review of Rock Erosion)

1988 Gibbs, Peter, "Bone People Now", NZ Listener, July 9, 1988, P74 (Review of BSS)

1988 "Compass", NZ Listener, March 5, 1988, P69 (Photography Only)

1988 Gifford, Adam, "Jewellery", Sunday Star, February 28, 1988, Pb4 (Review of BSS)

1987 Kightley, Oscar, "Treasure of The South Pacific", Auckland Star, November 16, 1987, Pb4 (Review of South Jade At Auckland Museum)

1987 Ward, Fred, "Jade", National Geographic, 1987, P309

1987 Edgar, John, "Stone, Bone, Shell", Craft International, Vol 6, No. 4, P30 (Copy of Essay From BSS Catalogue)

1987 Schamroth, Helen, "Bone Stone Shell", NZ Herald

1987 Bone Stone Shell, Exhibition Catalogue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australia & Asia Tour

1986 NZ Listener, November 15, 1986 (Review of Details Group At Auckland Museum)

1985 Beck, Russell, "Tenacious Stone" Review of NZ Jade, John Edgar, NZ Listener, November 2, 1985

1985 Treasures From The Land, Exhibition Catalogue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USA Tour

1985 Kahurangi, Exhibition Catalogue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USA Tour

1984 Amoamo, Jacqueline, "Cooperative Fingers", NZ Listener, November 17, 1984 (Review of Souvenirs)

1984 Bassent, Bob, "Amulets & Alchemy", NZ Crafts, Issue 12, 1984, Pp20-22

1984 Edgar, John, "Going Stoning, NZ Crafts, Issue 12, 1984, Pp17-19

1984 Guerin, Louise, "The Spirit In Stones", NZ Listener, May 19, 1984

1981 Gribben, Trish, "The Greenstone Sings", More, 1981