Josh Olley b. 1972

 JOSH OLLEY

b. 1972

Josh Olley was born in New Plymouth and currently works full-time from his studio in Luggate - a small town situated between Wanaka and Cromwell, in Otago, New Zealand.

Olley taught himself to carve in 1997 while he was living in Wanaka (firstly in bone) with a strong focus on the smallest of details and the overall finish to his pieces. As a result, he was soon selling through Te Papa Tongarewa Wellington, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Statements Gallery in Napier and several other New Zealand galleries.

Olley’s passion for larger stone sculpture developed naturally as his abilities evolved. He discovered the wonderful quality of the stone that was surrounding him in the lower South Island area and over the past years his work has transitioned mainly into large works. Argillite stone he particularly favours due to its hard and durable quality - and its ability to hold a very fine edge and detail.

During 2025, Olley participated in Sculpture in the Gardens. His work, Hand Down, was purchased by the Friends of the Garden – their largest ever acquisition – and will remain on permanent display at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Hand Down also received the ‘Peoples’ Choice Award’, during the event.

The first stage of my sculpture is discovering the form that fits the stone, so the potential of each unique stone remains in the finished piece.  This is vital to process and can take years to find.  The whole process can take many months of full-time dedicated work, however the satisfaction and strong connection to each piece develops as the form begins to take shape.”   

ARTIS Gallery has represented Josh Olley since 2019.