Through six sculptures on show in Oamaru, made of stone sourced from Waitaki and Southland, Joshua Olley expresses the many victories that kindness and a gentle touch could bring if only people would exhibit positive traits when interacting with each other.
"I’m a bit of pacifist; I’m not into the wars and violence."
The idea behind the exhibition titled, Handle with Care, at Oamaru’s Forrester Gallery, which opened on Saturday and closes on December 11, was born while he was working on stone.
He thought given how delicate some of the pieces he created were and how sensitively each needed to be handled during its formation, it resonated with him how much care he needed to put into his work.
"I can spend a week on them and then break them and then my week’s work has gone."
The self-taught carver used to be a builder, but at the age of 25 he put his tools down.
"I wanted to carry on learning about myself.
"From 25 years old I went straight into it and managed to pay the bills and it eventually evolved into stone sculpture."
The 44-year-old artist said he hoped his work would speak for itself.
"I want to be an artist so I can have a lifestyle as a choice. It allowed me to have a say and to express myself and that’s why I want to be an artist, but to be an artist you have to get your name out there and promote yourself. You can’t live off your work if you don’t get your name out there."
He said what he wanted viewers to gain from his show was to think about their actions and what sort of outcome could be gained from them.
"All good things can come from that."
● Artist Talk: Tuesday 29 November at 5.30pm
