Sculpture 2010 - Tim Olsen Gallery
63 Jersey Road, Woollahra, Sydney, Australia T +61 2 9327 3922
Opening night, Tuesday 19th January 2010, 6 - 8pm
Familiar to my many sculptors, the lump-hammer is a brute, with a long and
chequered history. They were used to carve the marble of the Parthenon, and then again to deface it. Often used as a symbol for honest labour, they are the quintessential tool.
In researching the project After Athena,
Hague said he first realised the metaphorical potential the hammer held, and began with the simple work
Deca. Just as the cherished axe (knife or rifle) of early settlers were adorned, a delicate 24ct gold patterning traces the surface, wholly incongruous to the machismo of industry. This botanical tattoo acts as a counterpoint to the man-made (a reminder of the complexity and natural beauty that stood before development).
The Trojan Hammer series presents itself as a sometimes serious, sometimes humorous look at technology and its implications. While
200% comments on our (comical) obsession with productivity, 'Malleus'
questions our technological advancement.
'Scope' is imagined in the hands of Captain Cook, a tool of Empire used to seek out foreign lands and subjugate the inhabitants.
Harder works to reconcile such as 'Jet' stand alongside Trumpet and
Violin, light-hearted reconfigurings of the phrase mark time, instantly recognisable by anyone
forced to practice as a
child. Femur and 'Hip' run from savage to salon.
This is an ongoing series and marks a profound shift towards the contemporary for an artist who has developed considerable formal skills.
Trojan Hammer (Violin). 2009, bronze, 24ct gold, strings, pegs,
43 x 13.5 x 9cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/291_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Jet). 2009, bronze, 24ct gold, 39.5 x
68 x 6cm
>> Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/271_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Femur). 2009, bronze, 24ct gold, 42 x
13.5 x 7cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/292_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Scope). 2009, bronze, telescope, 29 -
75 x 13.5 x 7.5cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/288_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Willow). 2009, bronze, stainless
steel, 24ct gold, 41.5 x 29 x 14cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/272_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Trumpet). 2009, bronze, trumpet, 49 x
17 x 14cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/273_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Crucifix). 2009, bronze, 24ct gold,
39.5 x 15 x 4.5cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/264_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (Hummingbird Moth). 2009, bronze, 24ct gold, 39.5 x 59 x 8cm
Trojan Hammer (Hip). 2009, bronze, 39 x 15.5 x 4.5cm
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Print File: www.roberthague.com/print/292_hague.tif
Trojan Hammer (200%). 2010, bronze, 24ct gold, 39.5 x 13.5 x 13.5cm
Trojan Hammer (Revolver). 2010, aluminium, 40.5 x 27.5 x 7cm
Trojan Hammer (Malleus). 2010, bronze, 24ct gold, 39 x 15 x 12cm
Contest for Attica. 2008, bronze, weathering steel, 280 x 100 x 80cm