Peter Kovacsy

Peter Kovacsy has lived and worked in Pemberton in the South West of Western Australia for more than forty years creating sculptural and functional artefacts from wood, glass, metal and ceramics. He chose to settle in Pemberton because land was affordable, it was a good place to build a home and start a business, and the relative isolation suits the nature of his practice. Inevitably, this setting has influenced his aesthetic and, as others have done, Kovacsy draws inspiration from the forest landscape and movement of light across natural phenomena.

Kovacsy started practicing as a designer-maker in 1989, specialising in bespoke wooden objects and fine wood furniture featuring native timbers. Notable works created during this era include a series of hollow lathe-turned bowls, such as Cosmic Tribal Hunters (1997) in the Art Gallery of WA collection. He began experimenting with cast glass in the mid–to–late 1990s after visiting Design Visions: the Australian International Craft Triennial at AGWA in 1992 where he saw contemporary glass art unlike anything he had seen before. This experience inspired him to switch his focus from wood to the design and production of large-scale kiln-cast glass sculptures. Selection for AGWA’s prestigious Tom Malone Prize in 2018 and 2021 illustrates recognition of his skills in this medium within the national glass art community.

Peter Kovacsy has always been fascinated by the challenge of working with wood or glass, or combinations of both, and strives constantly for excellence, whether working towards an exhibition, on a commission or public art project. His workshop is equipped with the only privately-owned kiln in WA capable of producing complex large scale cast glass sculpture. Investing in precision technology has enabled him to offer glass casting design and production services on commission, and provide access to foundry facilities for other artists.

His portfolio of wood and glass sculptural objects is extensive. His work is sought after and represented in public, private and corporate collections nationally and internationally. He has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas. Showcasing his practice and personal collection to visitors to his studio gallery in Pemberton underpins his belief that people are interested in seeing process as well as finished artworks in the setting that inspired them.

name
Peter Kovacsy
photo

Include in “People”
No
Include in “Board”
No