▶ WILL COLES AND LESLIE OLIVER NOW REPRESENTED BY BRENDA MAY GALLERY

Brenda May Gallery is pleased to announce that Will Coles and Leslie Oliver have joined our stable of represented artists. Both artists will be holding solo exhibitions at the Gallery next year, Coles scheduled for March and Oliver for May.

Left: Will Coles, 'Laissez-Faire' 2011, cold cast aluminium, edition of 1, 36 x 17.5cm
Right: Leslie Oliver, 'Another Kind of Arc' 2010, copper plated steel, timber, 50 x 80 x 43cm

"I use traditional sculptural techniques, such as modelling and casting, to manipulate found objects. Within this traditional framework I explore contemporary issues. I examine the fact that within contemporary society, all products, forms of entertainment and culture seem polluted by the cult of disposability – a lack of content and short shelf life. Similarly I despise the political and corporate appropriation of national identity; the hiding behind heroes and out of date patriotism." (Will Coles, 2009)

"As a sculptor I am thinking more and more in the same way, though my characters are seemingly static, they need to have a narrative to generate a sense of life and engage the viewer. A sculptor works alone so the processes appear less apparent however they remain the same; a sketch or thought (a script); collecting and capturing material/s (shoot); assembling them (edit); seeking a narrative, a struggle, a test of character, a story. I want the viewer to connect emotionally with my sculptures and then discover the other ideas within them." (Leslie Oliver, 2009)