Exhibitions Peter Syndicas Origins 3rd November 2021 - 27th November 2021

VIRTUAL TOUR

Catalogue essay by Kate Larsen
Adelaide-based sculptor Peter Syndicas returns to Melbourne with ‘Origins’, his first solo exhibition within his home town. The title of his latest collection refers not only to the elemental beginnings of Syndicas’ work, but to the influences of place and family, and the sense of coming home to where his twenty-year fascination with organic, natural shapes began.

Syndicas takes a unique approach to the human form, as found within the simplest fragments of nature – with each piece inspired by a twig, vineyard cutting, piece of coral or side-of-the-road stone. The artist’s observations of such objects (and the landscapes in which he finds them) make Syndicas’ work an exercise in duality. Both biological and anatomical, each piece is both an interpretation of an offshoot, sprig or stone as well as an impression of an abstract human form.

Magnified and revealed in bronze, steel or marble, the delicate lines and shapes of Syndicas’ angled sculptural pieces translate something delicate and easily-overlooked into exquisitely articulated permanence. Delicately carved or crafted, each piece is grounded in an intricately specific and respectful sense of place, which harks back to its origins in Melbourne, Adelaide, the Flinders Ranges, Paris or New York.

‘Origins’ also highlights the organic evolution of the artist’s own process through a range of different mediums and techniques – with each one leading and feeding into the next. From his original bronzed branches, to welded forms of mild or stainless steel, and the curved, limbless shapes of South Australian stone that evoke the classical sculptures of Ancient Greece.
Through the art of deliberate corrosion or the graceful patina of appreciation and age, Syndicas’ work explores the nurturing warmth of his materials and the beauty to be found in the imperfection of the natural world. Contemplative and peaceful, each is a paused moment of movement – a stillness with the twist and turn of nature at its heart, and an homage to the landscape of which it was once part. Timeless, as much as a moment captured in time.

The depths and textures of metal and stone are revealed through long hours of close, careful work, with each painstakingly created one-off or limited piece taking from five days to five weeks to complete. Traditionally, it has been the artist’s bronzes that have been the most collectable. We are drawn by their warmth to touch them, and the warmth of that touch is what deepens each piece over time. But stone is his current favourite, along with the secrets and fossils that he finds locked inside.

It’s easy to see how the artist’s attention is held by this theme and how it continues to evolve. Indeed, there is a particular poignancy to these pieces right now: in the act of honouring something so fragile and easily forgotten by making it resilient and able to withstand, survive and shine.

Increasingly popular in private collections, commercial commissions and public art settings, the organic flow of Syndicas’ works contrasts particularly well with more modern lines. Each precious, fragile origin provides a stark contrast to the solidity of the significant, breathtaking work it inspires.

ARTIST PROFILE
Since beginning his sculptural practice in 1997 Peter Syndicas has shown widely within both curated and award exhibitions. In 2018 he was announced as the Winner of the Sculpture for Sight Award held within the grounds of St Marks College in North Adelaide. He has been a finalist in the Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition (2019, 2018) and the Waterhouse Natural History Prize (2014, 2008, 2007, 2005). He recently participated in the South Australian Living Artists Festival (2021, 2020, 2018) and the Heysen Sculpture Biennial (2019), located at the historic Hans Heysen studio and gardens in the Adelaide Hills.

PETER SYNDICAS PROFILE
DOWNLOAD BIO / CV (PDF)

Peter Syndicas
Studley Figure 2021
polished woven and welded mild steel (wall hanging)
80cm x 170cm x 19cm in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Fairfield 2019
Polished bronze on a granite base
98cm x 73cm x 6cm, edition of 8, in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Bronze Venus 2021
bronze on granite base, edition 1 of 10
47cm x 24cm x 17cm in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Escape 2009
painted matte black bronze
144cm x 41cm x 21cm
edition of 10 in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Perseverance 2021
Bronze on Patinated Bronze Base
95cm x 40cm x 11cm
edition 1 of 10, in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Strawberry Fields 2014
polished bronze on patinated bronze base
112cm x 52cm x 20cm
edition of 10

Peter Syndicas
Montauk 2009
polished bronze on patinated bronze base
114cm x 44cm x 23cm edition 4 of 4
On exhibition at the Pleysier Perkins Art Space

Peter Syndicas
Free Spirit 2021
Bronze On Patinated Bronze Base
98cm x 30cm x 12cm
edition 1 of 10 in artist's studio

Peter Syndicas
Study of Venus 2021
Patinated Bronze, edition of 10
22cm x 14cm x 4cm