The relationship between inside and outside, private and public, is integral to the work of sculptor Olivia Bax. She is inspired by the distinctive window grilles found in European architecture, as well as the balconies she observed while working in Hong Kong for an artist residency in 2016-17. Bax is drawn to the function of these structures and features as porous public-facing thresholds that offer a glimpse into the personal sphere. Although Grille (landscape) appears protective, even defensive in nature, Bax notes that the terracotta colour is meant to ‘suggest softness’. In this regard, the work also reveals the pull between manufactured and organic forms.

To read a conversation between Olivia Bax and co-curator, Taylor Zakarin, visit pages 16-19 of the Catalogue.