Image: Simon Lownsborough, Equilibrium, 2023, brass, copper, linen thread, stone, paint, photograph Simon Lownsborough.
Simon Lownsborough is a sculptor whose practice incorporates formed metals and found materials to investigate his understanding of human nature and to pose questions about identity and sense of place.
Working intuitively and from memory, he brings together elements to build an eloquent whole. Simon is wary of ‘polished perfection’, preferring his work to remain human and approachable.
He works on Ngarrindjeri land in Goolwa and is inspired by the detritus of everyday living and the idiosyncrasy of human nature.
Which artists do you draw inspiration from?
This month, in no particular order, it’s Richard Lewer, Louise Nevelson, David Smith, Lee Krasner, Brett Whitely, George Raftopoulos, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Tony Tuckson, Rover Thomas, Lynn Chadwick, David Provan, Bruno Tosi, Johan Gelper, Ted Larsen, Pim Palsgraaf, Philip Guston, Simon Oud, Cy Twombly, Gonzalo Fonseca. This list changes, over time.
What does the South Australian arts ecology mean to you?
SA can kick above its weight – WOMADelaide, Tandanya, Adelaide Fringe, The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, JamFactory – although sometimes events pass us by in favour of bigger cities. Our size is a blessing and a restriction, especially in the visual arts where the east coast can support more galleries and larger shows. I feel SA is slightly small-minded when it comes to the arts, a Menzies-ian result perhaps. Any arts criticism in Adelaide seems to be predominantly theatre and dance – and in 2024 The Advertiser cut arts reviews. But I am hopeful the climate is changing as a few more small-spaces and alternative galleries are open, giving artists more opportunities.
What does a day in the studio encompass?
Normally I move between three benches and a couple of stumps, where I cut and bend metal, shape it, finish and braze it. At times I will incorporate different materials into one sculpture, so I need to make decisions about how to do this in a way that resonates and is structural. Often time is spent just thinking about process, shape and form to determine if what I want to say meets what I can achieve.
I’ll scribble, drawing ideas and notes, and sometimes this leads to changes in what I am making. My studio is near the kitchen so I will wander in and make myself a coffee, usually when something is cooling, pickling or I need to stop and think.
I listen to music a lot, although I often forget it’s on and will sometimes dance if something on the bench is working well.
How have you arrived at this point in your practice?
My current practice is a result of decades of thinking and reading about art and human nature. I arrived at this point in the most convoluted way.
I always drew as a child and made watches and bracelets from paper. As a teenager, a lack of family support and self-confidence prevented me from going to Adelaide CAE. As an adult in the ’90s I studied graphic design, and then night classes at Adelaide Central School of Art until family life took over. Artmaking was on hold until 2015 when I did a short course in Silver Jewellery Making at JamFactory and started Found Form in 2016.
All of a sudden, I was creating in three dimensions, and I no longer felt the angst I had in front of a canvas. I had found where I needed to be.
What creative challenges have you overcome?
Finding my way to metal, or more precisely three dimensions, was a revelation. I needed to work with my hands. Being able to move around an object, to bring it together using different skills and solving structural and conceptual issues, involves all my training and sensibilities.
Image: Simon Lownsborough in the studio, photograph Niamh Twohig.
Image: Simon Lownsborough, Dilemma, 2024, brass, coal, linen thread, paint, photograph Simon Lownsborough.
Recipient of the 2024 Urunga Small Sculpture Prize