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Higher Thinking

~ 31 August – 13 October 2019

Wanda Gillespie

~ Higher Thinking

Hand carved and painstakingly made ~ all of the work in this show is testimony to Wanda Gillespie’s raw talent ~ and deeply philosophical thinking ~ quite simply it’s breathtakingly beautiful

Wanda Gillespie is a mystical archaeologist unveiling artefacts from realms on the periphery of our vision. Finely wood-carved human-like figures interact with subtle beings on tables as though pieces in a mystical board game. Abaci are re-imagined sculpturally, strung with found nuts and re-labelled Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculators, while abstract carved paintings, or Higher Thought Forms, attempt to bring forth into the physical world that which is invisible: a central theme in the artists’ work.

The Mathematician who Gave his Heart Away to the Universe looks longingly at an abacus sculpture, contemplating the nature of reality, molecular structures and the unfathomable perfection of our existence.

The Dream Believer communes telepathically, eyes closed, with a subtle being, Mountain Seer, whose eyes appear wise beneath a bark wood head covering.

Enigmatic talismans created from found nuts, beads and wool, protect the carved figures. Kauri nuts cast in concrete offer a contemplation on the plight of these ancient Gondwanalandian trees - perhaps the figures are then dancing in an Ode to Kauri.
Higher thought forms are summoned as carved paintings on Kauri boards. Their swirling wanderings of speckled carved marks with gold flecks illustrate higher thought merging with lofty musings.

Abacus sculptures or Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculators dance amongst the carved figures and on walls. Using the Golden Ratio in her dimensions, Gillespie redesigns the abacus, contemplating nature’s perfection in mathematics and sacred geometry. Framed by walnut, curved geometric shapes created from brass rods are threaded with found nuts such as Sheoak or Gumnut. Cast concrete geometric feet ground the wooden piece in a contemporary time, with a nod to Brancussi. The stone conjures thoughts of the neolithic monuments of Stonehenge, our most ancient calculator.

Through these abacus sculptures, we contemplate the absurdity of humanity’s obsession with numbers: attempting to count that which can’t be counted becomes a poetic gesture.

~ Downloads for this show

Image © Wanda Gillespie
Image © Wanda Gillespie

~ Wanda Gillespie

Learn more about Wanda Gillespie in their Artist Profile.

VIV-1806

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator 4' , 2017

$ 1,150

Abacus, paint, concrete
210 x 510 x 210mm

VIV-1805

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator 5' , 2017

$ 1,150

Abacus, paint, concrete
210 x 500 x 210mm

VIV-1807

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator 9' , 2017

$ 950

Abacus, paint, concrete
210 x 390 x 210mm

VIV-1792

'Calculating the Infinite' , 2018

$ 6,500

Totara, oak and brass
965 x 1410 x 155mm

VIV-1797

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Gumnut) 1' , 2018

$ 1,750

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, gum nuts, resin, wax, cast concrete. ($8000 for the group of 5)
420 x 560 x 95mm

VIV-1798

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Gumnut) 3' , 2018

$ 1,750

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, gum nuts, resin, wax, cast concrete ($8000 for the group of 5)
420 x 560 x 95mm

VIV-1799

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Gumnut) 4' , 2018

$ 1,750

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, gum nuts, resin, wax, cast concrete. ($8000 for the group of 5)
420 x 560 x 95mm

VIV-1793

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Sheoak) 2' , 2018

$ 950

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, Sheoak, resin, wax
210 x 335 x 30mm

VIV-1794

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Sheoak) 4' , 2018

$ 950

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, Sheoak, resin, wax
210 x 335 x 30mm

VIV-1795

'Higher Consciousness Integrating Calculator (with Sheoak) 5' , 2018

$ 950

Walnut, brass, wooden beads, Sheoak, resin, wax
210 x 335 x 30mm

VIV-1828

'Boy With Wings' , 2019

$ 3,500

Kahikatea with ponga, kauri nut, string, wax, resin
170 x 420 x 130mm

SOLD
VIV-1787

'Dream Believer' , 2019

$ 3,600

Ash, Black Maine, string, cast concrete, kauri nuts, wax
200 x 475 x 145mm

VIV-1801

'Higher Thought Form 1' , 2019

$ 1,800

Painting and carving on Kauri, gouache, acrylic, pencil, watercolour, wood stain
400 x 460 x 200mm

VIV-1802

'Higher Thought Form 2' , 2019

$ 1,800

Painting and carving on Kauri, gouache, acrylic, pencil, watercolour, wood stain
400 x 460 x 200mm

VIV-1803

'Higher Thought Form 3' , 2019

$ 1,800

Painting and carving on Kauri, gouache, acrylic, pencil, watercolour, wood stain
400 x 460 x 200mm

VIV-1791

'Mountain Seer' , 2019

$ 2,350

Carving in Ash, paint, wax
310 x 320 x 110mm

VIV-1796

'Subtle Being in Rata' , 2019

$ 1,750

Wood carving in Rata, acrylic, string, Kauri nuts cast in concrete
130 x 450 x 14mm

VIV-1786

'The Mathematician' , 2019

$ 3,600

Rata, string, she oak, gum nut, wax
160 x 660 x 140mm

VIV-1839

'Truth Teacher' , 2019

$ 3,500

Ash, paint, wax
370 x 270 x 140mm

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