Shopping for a sculpture? Or just looking? Either way, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre’s annual Sculpture Festival, from 14 – 29 October, will command your attention.

Curator Koji Miyazaki has assembled about 40 artists working in a range of media. Among the more than 300 works on display will be glass by Graeme Hitchcock; ceramics by Katie Gold, John Parker, Rick Rudd and Chris Weaver; sculpture by Tony Matthews and jewellery by Lynn Kelly. Prices start around $85.

Smaller works will be on display in the Great Hall between 10am to 5pm daily. Larger works will be installed in the North Quad and surrounds, where people can view them at any time. During opening weekend (14-15 Oct) there will be six artist-led creative workshops covering clay head sculpting, 3D digital to physical making, clay bowl making, putiputi harakeke, clay sculpture making, and needle felting.

Koji Miyazaki, jeweller and director of Form Gallery, says the three-dimensional form holds eternal appeal. Being able to walk around an artwork or turn it over in your hand is deeply satisfying. “Most sculpture is tactile, some is wearable, so we experience it through our skin as well as with our eyes. For me as a maker, the 3-dimensional form is endlessly challenging.”

Koji has chosen everything from the monumental to the tiny for the festival – what makes it sculpture? “Sculpture is about form and imagination, it’s something you display either in the garden, in a room or even on your body. Sculpture is an object you can relate to and gives you a tiny glimpse into the artist’s mind,” he told Cityscape.

In selecting artists for the festival, Koji aimed for a mix of established and emerging artists producing quality and unique artworks at a range of price points. “I also took into consideration our audience; I want to show our artists’ work to a variety of viewers, from people who are new to art right through to more seasoned art collectors.”

He would especially like to highlight the artists who are exhibiting at the festival for the first time, such as Greg Tuthill and Tony Matthews. “It’s always exciting introducing new artists. Also, a special mention and thanks to Takaaki Sakaguchi, who sadly passed away recently. He has been supporting and exhibiting at Sculpture Festival since its inception, and we are honoured to be showing some of his work again this year, which he had saved for the event.”

Arts Centre Director Philip Aldridge says, “Sculpture Festival is another way to support national artists, to adorn and bring The Arts Centre to life, and respond to the demand from the local community – it’s a real win all round.” 

Now in its fourth year, The Arts Centre Sculpture Festival is becoming an established highlight in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s artistic calendar. The festival defiantly celebrates work that is not flat – work that goes beyond the screen or page or canvas.

artscentre.org.nz/whats-on/sculpture-festival-2023/