Impressive sculpture show on Waiheke Island

Sculpture at Cable Bay
Cable Bay Vineyard
Waiheke Island
Until March 28th

The current show of sculpture at Cable Bay on Waiheke Island is of large scale works from some of the county’s leading sculptors. Withg private collectors increasingly buying and commissioning large outdoor sculptures artists are able to experiment more and produce large works on a scale which American, European and even Australian artists have been doing for over twenty years.

Graham Bennett’s “World Apart” ($22,000) consists of three canoe shapes which are upended, leaning against each other forming a pyramidal shape. Each of the forms is perforated with triangular shapes which build into a Pacific design.

Long pieces of steel also rise out of the grouped forms so it takes on the appearance of some sort of transmitter. The old traditional form of transport (the canoe or wake) is transformed into a contemporary means of transmitting ideas.

David McCracken has a couple of works in the show.

“Expanded Metal Artwork” ($12,500) is a flat almost two dimensional work in Corten steel. It is like a simple children’s design exercise in slicing paper or cardboard to allow for an expanded ‘series of repeating shapes. This results in an interplay between the softness of the shapes and the hard steel.

His “Tread” ($12,500) is like a piece of industrial flooring or the imprints of the tread of a large tractor tread.

Phil Price also has two on display. His kinetic pieces work well at Cable Bay where there always seems to be at least a slight breeze coming up the valley to activate them.

“Ratyte” ($70,000) has one long blade attached to an upright plinth. It slices and waves like a paddle or windmill blade in random patterns.

His other work “Grace” ($75,000) is more subtle consisting of three small sections which are linked to each other. At rest they form a circle but when activated by the wind they spin in elaborate interacting arcs.

There are several Paul Dibble pieces including two massive figurative works at the entrance to Cable Bay. “Haeta /Dawn and Porehu / Dusk after Michelangelo’s Tomb for the Medici” ($195,000).

The two figures are modeled on Michelangelo’s figures and are seated facing away from each other. The figures were intended to convey the passing of time both from dawn to dusk as well as the more elusive notion of the passage of time between the twin points of birth and death.

His “Feather – Weight” is a large bronze feather resting on its point. As the title suggest there is a contrast between the heavy solid bronze and the idea of a light feather. There is also the contrast between the motionless strands of the feather and the breeze which blows around it.

His “Tui-ee-ee” ($165,000) is a large abstracted tui shape with a three pronged tail resting on a large geometric ring. The contrast between the abstracted bird shape and the geometric shape suggests the tui being able to pass between this world and another, highlighting the notion of the bird inhabiting a parallel spiritual dimension.

Gregor Kregar has one large work in the show. "Immersive Echo” ($48,000) is made up dozens of highly polished stainless steel geometric shapes which reflect the sky and the land in a kaleidoscope of colours.

While solidly geometric the work which stands on three legs also has anthropomorphic feel looking like a giant crustacean.