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Nine sculptures by Stephen Cox, exhibited together at the Meadow Gallery, Burford, Shropshire in 2004, are illustrated alongside the sculptor’s commentary on each of the works.
Stephen Cox’s achievement as a carver of stone needs no introduction here. Of particular note are the large sculptures. As a carver of big, even massive, pieces of very hard material, often extracted with great difficulty from inaccessible places and selected with meticulous care, Stephen Cox is distinct from other artists in his method of work and the sculpture he has made so far. We must acknowledge also the technical skills and knowledge of material required for the execution of such work : these abilities can only be acquired from decades of hard labour and application to the lonely task in many different places.
In autumn 2006 a major review of Stephen Cox’s work will take place in Bristol, city of his birth sixty years ago. This will provide an opportunity to view a number of big pieces placed individually around the centre of the city. The spring of 2006 also saw the consecration of a new altar by Stephen Cox in the chapel of St. Anslem at Caterbury Cathedral. This acclaimed work in its fine setting is now available for all to see. The fact is however, that despite more than thirty years of steady production the number of big sculptures on punlic view in England is limited to a relative handful of individual pieces, widely located across the country. If we add also that many of Stephen Cox’s major pieces have found homes overseas, with little formal documentation since 1990, few can be aware of the full measure of his output, or materials used, over an important period of activity. Thus, apart from the distinction of the individual pieces, there are many other good reasons for bringing together as many big works as possible to provide a collective indication of Stephen Cox’s more recent achievement.
Mounting a full scale exhibition of big sculpture, indoors or out-doors, can nowadays be regarded as a virtual impossibility. However, early in 2004, circumstances fortunately came together to provide an opportunity for an outdoor show of a good number of big pieces, including a new commission, in an excellent location. This event, which this folio records, duly took place in the latter half of 2004 at the Meadow Gallery, Burford House Gardens, Shropshire.
Rip Hopkins, born in England in 1972, is well-known for his photography and projects in Asia, Europe and Africa. Advantage was taken of his availability in England in mid summer and again in the late autumn of 2004 to make some special studies of the nine sculptures exhibited at the Meadow Gallery. The eighteen selected photographs, produced to the highest possible standard, comprise more than an excellent record: they succeed also in capturing the individual qualities of the works and eloquently convey the particular messages of each, amplified by Stephen Cox’s notes. Viewed together the studies contribute well to the wider objective of demonstrating the length, breadth and depth of Stephen Cox’s achievement in recent years.
VISHNU FORM 2004 Black Indian Granite This is another work which has lived in my studio for many years, now emerging on a base of local dhustone. When first exposed to the technique of carving temple idols I was particularly interested in the form of the reverse side which often seemed to possess greater sculptural power than the frequently over-decorated obverse. My interest has eventually resulted in this work which presents a figure with two backs, without a face, the opposite of the Janus figure. It also evokes the Celtic cross, a reference to a powerful culture much nearer home. © Stephen Cox 2006
