Peter Tilley: The Shadow Speaks

MAY SPACE is proud to present a new suite of sculptures by represented artist, Peter Tilley.

My interest in the connections between the figure and the shadow it casts, once more forms the basis of this body of work. Images of the self were seen indistinctly in polished materials prior to the production of silvered mirrors. Historically, this resulted in a semantic ambiguity between ‘reflection’ and ‘shadow’ and is another element I have explored in this body of work. Some of the sculpture’s cast shadows are voids and some are material constructions, they symbolically or visually disclose withheld traits of the casting figure that may not be consciously observed. Our usual perceptive process evaluates an object by its real cast shadow and then quickly dispenses with that shadow from our perception. Conversely, these tactile, sculpted material shadows are not only visible, but their tangible presence can be noticed and scrutinised for meaning.

Most works in this exhibition are concerned with the relationship between psychological and physical perception, or the abstract and the tangible. In Jungian psychology, the shadow contains those parts of ourselves that remain suppressed, denied, or are unfavourable aspects of the personality, ‘the dark side of the self’. In Jung’s words “The shadow personifies everything that the subject refuses to acknowledge about himself [sic].” Another underlying influence in all of my works is the symbolism associated with Ancient Egyptian funerary culture. The simplicity of form and reserved stance of the figure represent one aspect of this bias, and is referenced by Ancient Egyptian artistic canons

- Peter Tilley, 2020

Join us on Saturday 24 October from 11am to 3pm for an extended opening with Peter Tilley. Drinks will be provided.

MAY SPACE has an active COVID Safety Plan. All visitors are required to provide their name and contact number upon entry, surfaces are disinfected regularly, and we have a maximum capacity within the Gallery of 45 people.