Simon Rigg: Hollow Monuments

Simon Rigg, There Is A Place For Rituals, 2017With over 9 million people estimated per year exposed to Simon Rigg’s Guardians at Southbank since 2000, the Melbourne-born artist; now a New York resident, returns home to unveil his Hollow Monuments exhibition at the William Mora Galleries, currently on display until 11 May 2018.

Hollow Monuments celebrates Rigg’s strong influence and creative expression in his unique capacity to mold porcelain, conveying strength and demanding interaction with indigenous art. His raw, urban grit plays with proportional spaces. His reflection on indigenous art explodes into a sci-fi reality landing on earth.

“I want to make an impact on the place of art in our everyday existence,” said Rigg. “I want this exhibition to give Melbourne a slap in the face to say that I’m back! At times, we are complacent in our day-to-day life, however, art and culture must be an interactive ‘culture call’ to all. We just have to be ready for a cerebral washing machine in life.”

Born in 1955 in Melbourne Australia, schooled in painting and sculpture Simon Rigg made the decision to relocate to New York City in May 1998 in order to immerse himself in and to pursue a rich and varied world of art in a city that, at the time, was believed to offer the most opportunities to the artist.

In 2000 Rigg was accepted into the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) in New York City, which provided much of what Rigg required, continually evolving and progressing in his level of definition. The admittance into the Foundation offered recognition for Rigg to participate in the annual exhibitions hosted by the EFA and a continuation in numerous other exhibits worldwide.

Throughout his career Rigg has predominantly focused on the metaphor of home as refuge and has been strongly influenced by indigenous architecture and forms built from what the land offers world cultures. Working in New York City, a city built on modernity and evolving history, provided a stark juxtaposition to the deviation of Rigg’s work and only made them clearer and more compelling because of the paradox.

Rigg’s sculptures in marble, porcelain, wood, strongly define the connection to earth but more often are combined together to negotiate and establish conceptually evocative identities with strong senses of belonging.

Simon Rigg: Hollow Monuments
William Mora Galleries, 60 Tanner Street, Richmond
Exhibition continues to 11 May 2018
Free admission

For more information, visit: www.moragalleries.com.au or www.simonrigg.com for details.

Image: Simon Rigg, There Is A Place For Rituals, 2017. ceramic and thread