A solo exhibition by the renowned British artist
David Shillinglaw has had a close relationship with the gallery for five years. In that time, he has presented two exhibitions with his partner Lily Mixe and taken part in several group shows.
This first solo exhibition is the manifestation of an idea which has been germinating across those five years. David's 'Bodies' pieces seem uniquely resonant in his output as a way of transmitting his ideas. A whole family of them will inhabit the space, large and small, all set to prompt and provoke.
Bodies of Land and Water is urgent, thought-provoking and absolutely immersive. Come and meet the family.
"Where does the body end and the land begin? The body is a map: a messy mass of borders and boundaries. We are walking worlds, sensitive, trembling terrains. Moving through bodies that are also landscapes, getting stuck, tripping traps, searching for treasure and meaning in muddy marks. The artworks attempt to reconnect the interior and exterior, looking through both ends of the telescope, building a twisted and confusing world of micro-macro multitudes.
The exhibition is a feast of figures, a family of mythical mutants and hieroglyphic goddesses; kneeling, laying, playing, praying. Like Frankenstein building his monster, I am gathering and connecting pieces of a cosmic puzzle, adding and taking away until it starts to make sense and begins to wake up. Handwritten text surrounds and spill out like lyrics or song lines, overheard conversations, self-help mantras and quotes to live and die by. Mixing the personal with the universal, constructing modern-ancient tricksters, each waving and pointing to possible paths, helping navigate this Human planet."
David Shillinglaw