Ben Apfelbaum

PETER DE ROZARIO : A SCULPTOR AND HIS DEDICATION TO HIS WORK

Peter De Rozario ‘Dancing Snakes’
Peter De Rozario ‘From The Gardens’

It is very rare that one has the privilege to discuss the work of an artist, in this case the sculptor Peter  Rozario, for an unlimited amount of time. 

Furthermore, it is even rarer for an artist to discuss the meaning and intention of each piece of work. 

Peter studied sculpture at the National Art School and was a finalist in the Artentwine Sculpture Biennial, Tasmania in 2019.

One of his greatest ambitions is to have a sculpture accepted by Sculpture By The Sea

The bulk of his work, though abstract in form, has serious concerns about the external world be it climate change or political injustice. 

However one of the most touching pieces is ‘Mother and Child’ which is a memorial to the loss of a child due to premature birth. As an act of tribute he regularly polishes the steel constructed sculpture so that it appears  to shine as a piece of stainless steel. 

Peter De Rozario ‘Mother and Child’

Peter works with found objects be they on construction sites or farming land and achieves his intricate shapes, not by using heat to bend metal but rather by a cold metal manipulating process. 

Oddly enough the works did not have labelling tags beside them. Peter said that this was deliberate so that people would be prompted to discuss a piece of sculpture with him. 

Unlike many artists he is a gregarious and warm person who explains his works in a clear, concise, comprehensible way that is both simple and profound. 

Whilst all the works were fascinating there were a few striking works that I particularly enjoyed. 

‘Quit Now’ is a Pop Art sculpture depicting a cigarette being stubbed out through a black disc which symbolises death. 

Peter De Rozario ‘Quit Now’

Peter’s largest piece is entitled ‘A Delicate Flower’ deliberately references a giant yellow flower sculpture installed on the city side of Darling Harbour. 

Delicate Flower

A tribute to Myanmar political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi is depicted in the form of a peacock as her nickname is Lady Peacock. 

Peter De Rozario ‘Lady Peacock’

One of the simplest sculptures called ‘Water’ is something that looks life a single wire emerging from the ground. In fact, this work depicts the hope of a revival after a crippling drought.  Because the tip of the wire is coated in copper it is expected that as the sculpture ages the copper tipped work will turn green, thus making it clearer that it is a plant forcing its way through hard soil seeking the nourishment of the sun and the hope for rain.

Peter De Rozario ‘Water’

Finally, an environmentally themed work entitled ‘The Black Wave’ concerns itself with the terrible pollution that afflicts oceans around the world.

Peter De Rozario ‘The Black Wave’

Unfortunately the exhibition, which was held at the Shop Gallery.  112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, closed on the 8th July 2022. Keep an eye out for his name.  Peter is represented by Rex Livingston Gallery, Katoomba. He can be contacted directly on prrozario@gmail.com

 

 

Peter De Rozario ‘Same Love’
Peter De Rozario ‘White Coral’
Peter De Rozario ‘Woodstock’

Photos by Ben Apfelbaum

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.