To the Centre
Greg JOHNS
Australia born 1953
To the Centre 2000
Corten Steel
A member of the New York Sculptors Guild and the International Sculpture Centre, Greg Johns is based on a rural property at Palmer in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills where he has established a ‘sculpture landscape’ along with a program to re-generate the surrounding native vegetation. Johns refers to the Australian landscape as an abiding inspiration for the emblematic character of his work.
Fabricated in corten steel, a viewer comprehends this large mandala-like form quite differently from changing vantage points. This mercurial aspect of Johns’ work is experienced by walking around To the centre. At one location, the work presents as a portal framing a distant vista. From another location, the girth is reduced to a slender, serpentine form.
Greg Johns also finds inspiration in ancient belief systems as well as contemporary developments in physics and philosophy. His mastery of material and method is such that heavy metal is cajoled into rhythmical and supple configurations reminiscent of a Celtic knot.