Shadowlands

13th Juried Art Exhibition

Original Exhibition Dates: June 14, 2021 - June 25, 2021.

Shadowlands

Is there light or darkness in the shadowlands or is it a state of chiaroscuro? In some faiths, the shadowlands are peopled by spirits or phantoms; others see it as the domain of the unconscious. Living in the shadowlands can mean uncertainties, a sense of feeling disembodied from reality. Is it a destination or a point on a journey and if we inhabit the shadowlands, is it with a sense of freedom and excitement or a sense of regret and loss? Take a step into the shadowlands.  I'll see you there. 

Best wishes.

Exhibition curator: Womanwithstick (AKA Jan Sargeant)

Exhibition Terms

Curator's Note

Thank you to everyone who submitted work for this exhibition. I was honoured to have this opportunity and gratified to see so many entries. 

In curating this, I wanted to offer a sense of the narrative that emerged strongly as I read through the supporting statements. For some, Shadowlands exists as a metaphysical concept, for others, it is part of the human condition; whilst some see light emerging from darkness, others see shadows as memories of past lives.

 In making what were often difficult choices, I was mindful of the request for artists to offer a supporting statement which related the work to the title of the exhibition. Some work of great merit is therefore not represented simply because there was no attempt to explain the link, or the link was extremely tenuous. A good exhibition needs a strong narrative - and the narrative here has been created by the work contained and the statements about that work; thoughtful insights into the artist’s mind and the work they present. 

I hope this exhibition speaks to everyone who visits. The work contained shifts from light to dark, dark to light. It is an exhibition framed by the shafts of light and dark that enter all our lives and we each move within and between them in life, before we become the dust and shadows of our destiny: “Shape without form, shade without colour” (The Hollow Men, TS Eliot). There’s no order to these shadows; they move around at will and when you reach to touch, they dissolve. 

 

Thank you, fellow artists, for the gift of your work. 

 

Womanwithstick (AKA Jan Sargeant)

Gallery note

We are grateful to our curator Jan Sargeant (AKA Womanwithstick) for setting up this exhibition. The theme “Shadowlands” appeals to our very inner and often sacred thoughts and emotions. We often (if not always) ask the artists to write a description for all applied works. This time reading descriptions can turn your perception of this exhibition upside down. 

There is no GPS in Shadowlands. Each artist took a different approach. Some found inspiration in the bible or ancient texts, the others searched for the light in the land of shadows, several wrote their own poems. We decided to give the gallery award to the work which took metaphysical and also very personal approach. The work which one of the most famous writers of 20th century Erich Maria Remarque would probably call “Schatten im Paradies” (Shadows in Paradise).

Shadowlands is the kingdom of the unknown. How you deal with something you cannot see or comprehend?  We all are looking for our own ways. Isn’t it what the art is about - looking for your own way?  

Exhibition Results:

Curator’s Award - “Hera”. Aruan Daneo Lima Santos (UK)

Gallery Award - “The Memory of Others”. Ted Kennedy (UK)

Popular Vote Award – “Quiet City”. Alex Dobreva (Bulgaria)