PETER COOLEY

Martin Browne Contemporary is delighted to present Through the Archipelago II, an exhibition of new works by award-winning ceramicist Peter Cooley.
Developing on the theme of Cooley’s 2012 exhibition, the sculptures in Through the Archipelago II depict Australian wildlife as varied as the cassowaries and tree kangaroos of Far North Queensland and the sugar gliders that frequent the bush around the artist’s home in the Blue Mountains.
In his Kites, Gang Gangs, Sugar Gliders, Tree Kangaroos, Swans and Cassowaries, Cooley simplifies and abstracts his subjects to create gestural works of power and beauty - the clay hollowed out, flattened and expressively rippled to suggest the essence of these Australian animals.
Cooley’s individual practice is in stark contrast to much contemporary art, but it is this contrast and his steadfast belief in the integrity of his art practice that has made Peter Cooley’s work the subject of serious attention by public institutions and private collectors alike. In the last twelve months alone, Cooley’s sculptures have been acquired by important public collections including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the University of Queensland Art Museum and Artbank.