When he’s not sculpting, he’s dreaming about sculpting. Will Coles, for as long as he can remember, has been creating works with a conceptual edge. Inspired by the idea of free art for the people, Coles loves the idea of art in the everyday, his works providing both statement and stimulus at street level.
The sideways kinds of artistic things we just happen to come across without expecting them can be the most intriguing of all.
Using concrete or fibre glass resin casts from objects such as TVs, mobile phones, toys or remote controls, Coles carves upon them words designed to engage and provoke thought. The artist installs his works in public places, giving people the opportunity to stumble across concrete televisions with words such as ‘numb’, ‘silence’ and ‘life is fleeting’, suitcases labelled ‘burden’ and ‘memories’, a box tied with string proclaiming ‘this is not a bomb’ – and to think about what’s *really* being said here.
Technology is an abiding interest, and Coles’ thematic angle takes in technology’s potential to improve humanity, as well as its misuse by those who need to “keep us dumb”. MORE