Terry CULVER

Artist Statement
Terry Culver has been an exhibiting artist since 1981. He has had almost 20 solo shows half of which have been overseas including Norway, France and Jordan in the Middle East. He works in installation and object sculpture formats as well as works-on-paper, but his preferred medium is wire mesh sculpture. Culvers early experiences on a Romano-British archaeological excavation and a strong interest in Classical Greek sculpture had a profound impact on much of his early work. The Greek concept of the aret coupled with the idealisation of the male form eventually led Culver into an interest in masculinity, a concept he explored in intense detail for his Masters of Fine Arts at the College of Fine Arts, University of NSW, with research into excessive- or Hyper-masculinity - as reflected in the realm of bodybuilding. A further undertaking of a PhD at the same University continued the artists interest in masculinity with the focus shifting towards a more specific Australian masculine identity. The historical development of Australian identity has impacted on both the cultural formation of the Australian male and his corporeality. In the past the Aussie bloke became synonymous with Australian identity itself, be it the convict, bushranger, swagman, ANZAC or outback cocky, and has attained a universal familiarity through the media in personalities such as Crocodile Dundee, Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter), Sir Les Patterson, Breaker Morant, Ned Kelly, Barry McKenzie, Don Bradman, Kerry Packer and characters from Gallipoli and so on. Culvers research into these areas better enable him to understand his own sense of masculine self in a culture that continually redefines the notion of what it is to be a man. contact: mail@terryculver.com.au

Art Forms