by Andrew Rogers
Princes Highway entrance to St Peters Interchange
It’s good to put something back into the community that creates diversity in their environment and good art should do that.
To Be – Ikigai; A reason for being. The Japanese concept of Ikigai refers to the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. This is the central idea behind Andrew Rogers’ new public artwork. The sculptural forms comprising the diptych stand in conversation with each other. Interpreted as two abstract figures, the work creates a space to contemplate the relationship between the individual and community.
Made from highly polished stainless steel, the reflective quality transforms the work into a site-specific response to the St Peters urban context, both absorbing and reflecting the world around. To Be - Ikigai is an impressive five-metre-high landmark that invites audiences to explore the contemporary cultural landscape.
"The idea for this particular sculpture, comes from a series of sculptures, which reflect an idea that I have been exploring for some time about singularity and community and about dialogue and communication between people.
Preparation for these sculptures involved understanding the site, where they would be located, what would be seen and what would allow interaction of the people around the sculptures. This was in mind when we decided the scale, the orientation and the placement of the sculptures."
Andrew Rogers is a distinguished and internationally recognised contemporary artist and one of Australia’s most successful. Rogers’ body of work comprises over 600 sculptures around the world including 51 major stone structures (geoglyphs) which comprise the ‘Rhythms of Life’ project. The largest contemporary land art undertaking in the world. A connected set of drawings on the earth which encircle the globe and are visible from space. The first land art project to be documented by satellite. This unique and unprecedented project has involved more than 7,500 people in 16 countries across all seven continents over 16 years.
The challenge is always to use materials in a new and different way, and make them convey meaning and portray form in a manner that has not previously been seen.
Known for his open-form abstract sculptures, Rogers receives many international commissions. His critically acclaimed sculptures are in numerous private and prominent public collections around the world. Rogers’ work is exhibited internationally and is the subject of books and documentaries shown on Ovation in the United States, the Discovery channel in Europe and the ABC and National Geographic channels. The Google Cultural Institute has recently partnered with Rogers and launched the ‘Rhythms of Life’ land artproject exhibition on their Art Project website.
These resources have been designed by experienced Visual Arts educators to support students and teachers studying and delivering the NSW syllabus for Visual Arts, and are tailored to Stage 4 and Stage 5.
Stage 6 teachers may also consider some of the artist studies for their students.
