ANGUS TAYLOR

(b.1970 Pretoria, South Africa)

“You can only write poetry in a language you know.” – Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor is known for his powerful, often monumental, sculptural works incorporating materials from his immediate environment – Belfast granite, red jasper and the orange earth found in Gauteng. Although he references traditional South African crafting techniques, his works are unmistakably contemporary. Taylor’s craftsmanship, his bold and visionary approach, and his original use of materials have resulted in many ambitious public and private commissions around the world.

Taylor is a graduate of the University of Pretoria, which awarded him an Alumni Laureate in 2005. He currently teaches part-time at the University of Pretoria and served as advisor to the Tshwane University of Technology.

In 1997, Taylor established Dionysus Sculpture Works. This studio and workshop combine all aspects of sculpture production, from conceptualisation to clay modelling, from carving to casting. He produces his own and other prominent sculptors’ work, including that of Deborah Bell, Norman Catherine and Sam Nhlengethwa. He also nurtures the talent of young and developing artists. In 2024 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by UNISA in South Africa. 

In addition to numerous solo and group shows, Taylor is actively involved in producing large-scale commissions for national and local government, as well as for the private sector. These include the Solomon Mahlangu statue in Mamelodi; the statue of Chief Tshwane in front of the Pretoria City Hall; as well as the work commemorating South African anti-apartheid Afropop singer, Brenda Fassie, in Newtown, Johannesburg. 

In establishing a recognisable presence in the world of public art over the past decades, Taylor has harnessed aspects of monumentality combined with a fresh reassessment of materials to create his own visual idiolect. 

 

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024 The Weight of Wings, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

2023 Layers of Being, Everard Read, London, UK

2022 Dum Spiro (Whilst I Breathe), Tswalu Foundation residency exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2021 Quarried Consciousness, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2020 Immanence | Transcendence, Everard Read, London, UK  

2017 In the middle of it, Everard Read, London, UK & Everard Read, Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa

2015 New Work, Fried Contemporary, Pretoria, South Africa

2014 From Explicit to Implicit, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2011 Biography of Material, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2010 New Work, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Klont, Dialoog met Grond, Aardklop National Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

2008 Momentary Permanence, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2006 Deduct, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg; North-West University, Potchefstroom; Gallery at Grande Provence, Franschhoek, South Africa

2005 Recent Works, Artspace, Johannesburg, South Africa 

2004 Solo Exhibition, Dorpstraat Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2003 Barefoot, Baggage Free, Bronze Age Sculpture House, Simon’s Town; Mind’s-i, Pretoria, South Africa

2000 Africana & Other Baggage, Gallery 88, Sasolburg, South Africa

1999 Africana & Other Baggage, Open Window Contemporary Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 Winter Collection, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

2024 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        Winter, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa 

        September Selection, Everard Read, London, UK

2023 What I Feel When I Think About The Cosmos, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

        Natural Habitat, 16 on Lerotholi, Cape Town, South Africa

        SUMMER, Everard Read, London, UK

2022 Spring, group show, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

         Things I’d like to remember, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

         Sculpture on the Cliffs, Hermanus FynArts Festival, Hermanus, South Africa

2021  Absolutely Fabulous Spring Show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

         In Conversation, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2020 Odyssey, Everard Read, SA & UK

        SUMMER 2020, Everard Read, London, UK

        The Portrait Show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Staring Straight to the Future (online exhibition in support of the Solidarity Fund), Everard Read, SA & UK

        Bronze, Steel, Stone & Bone, Everard Read, London, UK

2019 Southern Aspect, Everard Read, London, UK

        Masterpiece Art Fair, Everard Read, London, UK

2018 Opening exhibition, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

2017 FNB Joburg Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Art Angels Africa Auction, London, UK

2016 Bronze, Steel & Stone, Everard Read, London, UK

        A Place in Time, Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

2015 Bronze, Steel & Stone, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, with Everard Read, London, UK

        FNB Joburg Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Capital: Present, Fried Contemporary, Pretoria, South Africa

2014 FNB Joburg Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Summer Showcase, Tokara Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2013 Summer of Sculpture II, Mount Nelson, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        Sculpt, William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley, South Africa

        After the Rainbow Nation, Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

        FNB Joburg Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        DSW, Pretoria Art Association, Pretoria, South Africa

2012 Summer of Sculpture, Mount Nelson,  with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        The Rainbow Nation, Lange Voorhout, Den Hague, Netherlands

        The Winter show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2009 Great South African Nude Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2008 FNB Joburg Art Fair, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2007 Africa, Cork Street Gallery, London, UK

2006 Creative Creatures, Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

        Corpus Colossus, Gordart, Johannesburg, South Africa 

2005 Funky Functional, Gordart Gallery, Melville, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Porn Again, Merely Mortal Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Absa L’Atelier National Art Award, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

        Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa

2004 Off the Record - On the Record, Gordart at the Thompson Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa 

        Art.co.za Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Two Man Show, Wizards Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2003 Dawid’s Choice, Dorpstraat Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa 

        Opening Exhibition, Bronze Age Sculpture House, Simon's Town, South Africa

        St. Valentine’s, Mind’s-i, Pretoria, South Africa

        Gallery 88, Sasolburg, South Africa

        Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

        Gordart at the Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2002 Drawing Conclusion, curated by Diane Victor, National Art Association, Johannesburg, South Africa

        WAM!, Sasol Wax Award, Sasolburg, South Africa

        A Show of Angels, Open Window Contemporary Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

 

RESIDENCIES

2021-22 Tswalu Foundation, AIR programme, Northern Cape, South Africa

 

SELECTED COLLECTIONS 

Beelden aan Zee Museum, The Hague, Netherlands

Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa

Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa

Sasol, South Africa

University of Pretoria, South Africa

University of the Free State, South Africa

Norval Foundation, South Africa

Atterbury Head Office, South Africa

Tokara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Saronsberg Wine Estate, Tulbagh, South Africa

Leeu Collection, South Africa & UK

Ellerman House, South Africa 

Oliewenhuis Museum, South Africa 

North-West University, Potchefstroom 

Pretoria Art Museum, South Africa  

The Marvelous Collection, South Africa  

Tokara Wine Estate, South Africa  

William Humphreys Art Gallery, South Africa 

White Rabbit Collection, Sydney, Australia

 

SELECTED PUBLIC ART AND COMMISSIONS

2021 Composite Nurse, Zuid Afrikaans Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa

2019 Holderstebolder, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Delhi, India

        Sculpture Commission for Shell House, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Long ears over wheat ears, donkey ears ago, carved Belfast granite, bronze, steel & concrete, Hazendal Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa 

2018 Holderstebolder, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

        The universal child, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, red jasper, black banded chert, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa 

        Dink aan die kleure van ons klippe, The Club, Hazelwood, Pretoria, South Africa 

2017 Reflective Resonance, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, Sydney, Australia.

        Equestrian Evolution, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Kyalami Square, Kyalami, South Africa 

        Dionysus, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, Tokara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa 

        Reflective Resonance, cast bronze, patina, Belfast granite, Botswana 

2016 Portrait of a pig, cast bronze and patina, Eskort Headquarters, Irene, South Africa 

        Homing the future, homing the past, cast bronze, steel, stainless steel, Corner Place, Pretoria, South Africa 

        Homage to the foundation on which everything is built, carved Belfast granite, steel & concrete, 1 on Mutual, Pretoria, South Africa 

        Entangled Head in Bronze III Sculpture Commission for Rand Merchant Bank, Sandton, South Africa 

        Conduit, Rammed earth and stone, Saronsberg Estate, Tulbagh, South Africa

2015 Three little pigs, cast concrete, bronze and patina, Stellenbosch Square, South Africa 

        Reflective Resonance, Cast bronze & Belfast Granite, Klein Dassenberg Wine Estate, Franschhoek, South Africa 

        Belated wake (floating heads), rammed earth, cement fondu, stone, Namibia  

        Longview, carved Belfast Granite, Gordons Bay, South Africa 

2014 Lady on a donkey, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pretoria 

2013 Untitled, mixed media sculpture, Northcliff Square, Johannesburg. 

        Untitled, mixed media installation, Hatfield Growthpoint properties, Pretoria. 

        Untitled, mixed media installation, Cradlestone Mall, Krugersdorp. 

        Adam Kok III, Life size Bronze, Heritage project, Pretoria. 

2012 Van hier tot daar, permanent slate installation, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. 

        Pixley Ka Seme, Life size bronze, Heritage project, Bloemfontein. 

        Layers of mind, mixed media sculpture, OBZ Square, University of Cape Town. 

        Layers of mind and metal, permanent mixed media installation, Newcastle Mall, Newcastle. 

        Layers of Being, The Rainbow Nation, Contemporary South African Sculpture, Lange Voorhout Museum Beelden aan zee, Den Haag

        A crossing of tangible truths, Mixed media installation, Platinum square, Rustenburg

2011 Grounded,Ungrounded I and II, Bronze cast, Lynnwood Bridge, Pretoria 

        Grounded, Rammed Earth and Bronze cast, Eldo square, Eldoraigne, Pretoria 

2010 The One Brother and the Dark Cloud, Cast bronze & stainless steel, Corner of Eastwood and Park street (by Loftus Versfeld Stadium), Pretoria 

        Little Mamma Africa, permanent slate installation at Atteridgeville Super Stadium in conjunction with Dionysus sculpture works 

        Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Whistler, Vancouver, Canada 

        Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Damme, Belgium

        Homage to Hermes, permanent slate installation, Apple Mac Head Quarters, Johannesburg 

        Hier, a permanent slate installation at Ellerman House, Bantry Bay, Cape Town

        Drift, a biodegradable installation for Aardklop, Potchefstroom Botanical Gardens

        Adrift, granite head at Waterkloof Corner Shopping Centre, Pretoria 

2009 Momentary Permanence, Belfast granite and bronze figures at Brooklyn bridge, Pretoria 

2008 Centenary Sculptures, Granite and Bronze cast, Merensky Library walkway, University of Pretoria 

        Three Granite Figures, Granite, University of Pretoria 

2007 Co-presence (Apollonian-Dionysian), Steel and stainless steel cast, Irene Village Mall, Centurion  

AWARDS

2017 Helgaard Steyn Award for Sculpture

2010 Aardklop Festival Artist

2005 University of Pretoria, Alumni Laureate 

1994 Best Sculpture Student (UP)

1994 1st Prize - PPC Young Sculptors Award