Artist Info

John Ferguson (b. 1953) began exploring sculpture whilst living in Romania in the 1990s, working alongside his friend and well-known sculptor Liviu Mocan. On returning to New Zealand in 2000, he attended local symposiums working mainly in wood and limestone to develop his practice. He later moved into utilising steel, cement-based products, and found objects, to create large-scale public works.

His practice offers a meditation on the human forms that can be found in everyday objects and nature. His recent body of work utilises found or premade objects and repurposing them to create natural elements like flowers and nests. A notable work from this period is Blooming Buckets, a seven-meter tall dandelion made from yellow buckets, originally exhibited at New Zealand Sculpture on the Shore, which is now on permanent display at the Sculptureum in Matakana. Another large-scale botanical work is Khulu, a five-meter-tall sculpture resembling a foxglove flower also exhibited at Sculpture in the Gardens, where it was awarded the People’s Choice Award. The flowers that make up Khulu's striking form are made from casts of an everyday Watering Can used in domestic gardens.

Other notable works include, Breathe a five-meter-tall Corten steel sculpture originally exhibited at the 2019 Sculpture in the Gardens at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. This piece resembles both a canopy of branches and the anatomy of our lungs, the way our world breathes, and how we breathe.

Among other works, John has designed and built three balustrades for public bridges for the North Shore Council, and the outdoor reading area at the Browns Bay Library. He and his wife Julie now live on the riverside in the Karangahake Gorge, where he works from his home studio.

‘I am passionate about discovering and expressing the thoughts, dreams and hopes of the human heart. Through the pain and pleasure of life, each of us has a unique story to be told. I express my own story through creating art objects. I am drawn to the movement, shape and warm rich colours naturally inherent in wood and stone and to the powerful strength of steel and aluminium. Subtle hints of the human figure seen in man-made objects, and within nature, are recurring themes in my work. Everyday items take on a touch of humanity and become works of art; a clothes peg transitions into a two-metre tall ballerina on point; or a pair of scissors reflects a man and woman ploughing the ground together. Simple yet elegant forms, telling a story through subtle movement, jump from the pages of my personal journal onto my workbench.’

– John Ferguson

AWARDS

15 March 2019 – Best Sculpture - Supreme Award
Art Waikino, 2019

Khulu – People’s Choice Award
Sculpture in the Gardens, 2015-16

Together – People’s Choice Award
Lakehouse Sculpture Symposium, 2011

Snappy Couple - Best Sculpture
Rodney Art Awards, 2010

PUBLIC WORKS

The Future Laid in the Past, 2017, mixed media, found agricultural machinery
Permanent display at the Western Bay of Plenty Museum

Blooming Buckets, 2014, steel and plastic buckets, 5500mm x 1950mm
Permanent display at the Sculptureum, Matakana

Live It, 2008, Sarsoua (native timber of Egypt), 1800mm x 600mm
Permanent display at the Alexandria Library, Egypt

The Seed, 2009, Macrocarpa, 7000mm x 600mm x 600mm
In collaboration with Liviu Mocan from Romania
Permanent display at the North Shore Hospital, Auckland

La Passione, 2012, polished steel on Macrocarpa plinth, 1600mm x 500mm x 400mm
Permanent display at the The Arts House Trust

PRESS

“Khulu Takes Top Sculpture Award”, Our Auckland, 7 Mar 2016
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2016/03/khulu-takes-top-sculpture-award/

“Sculpture in the Gardens Closing Celebration”, Auckland Botanical Gardens, 7 Mar 2016
https://www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz/whats-on/news/sitg-closes/

Lotter, Michelle, “Sculpture Gives Hope to the Sick and Needy”, North Shore Times, 31 Jan 2009
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-shore-times/26803/Sculpture-gives-hope-to-the-sick-and-needy

Sophie Bond, “Sliver Me Timbers”, The Aucklander, 2011
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/lifestyle/sliver-me-timbers/DKRKIIRH37TBZUQBUQBIDNLPRE/