Peter Finnemore, Silvers of Space

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is delighted to present Silvers of Space, a major new solo exhibition by Welsh artist Peter Finnemore (b.1963, Carmarthenshire, Wales), bringing together an ambitious body of new artworks. About This exhibition marks a significant and expansive chapter in Finnemore's four-decade artistic engagement with his family home, Gwendraeth House, situated in the Gwendraeth Valley, West Wales. Homes are souls, houses are commodities. Developed through an ongoing exploration of place, memory, imagination and materiality, Silvers of Space uses the artist’s exploration of the family home as a portal for uncovering narratives that connect generations of family history, personal experience and artistic practice. At the heart of the project is an interest in how we represent and understand the world around us, drawing links between photography, painting and everyday objects and materials. Inspired by his family's background in painting and decorating, Finnemore uses trade materials and techniques to question traditional distinctions between craft and fine art. Layers of wallpaper, paint and decorating materials collected from the home are transformed into contemporary artworks, encouraging us to see familiar domestic materials in new ways. These artworks are then photographed within the rooms and spaces from which they originated. Rather than simply documenting the works, the photographs capture the atmosphere, light and character of the house itself. The artworks appear closely connected to their surroundings, changing with shifts in light and weather. Displayed on bookcases, tables, stools and windowsills, they become informal, temporary installations that echo the relaxed and lived-in nature of the home. The project also creates a conversation across generations, particularly between Finnemore and his great-uncle Sidney Finnemore, a painter-decorator and amateur artist. Sidney's life and work provide an important point of reference throughout the exhibition. By bringing together personal, cultural and historical stories, Silvers of Space creates new forms of visual storytelling. Reflecting the textures, experiences and family histories of contemporary rural life in Wales, the exhibition also considers the emotional and political meanings of home, belonging and place. Building on decades of photo-art practice, Finnemore investigates the unique qualities of photography, including tone, time and the framing of space. These ideas are expanded through painting, collage and video, creating a rich and layered exhibition that moves between personal history and collective experience. Alongside Silvers of Space, Finnemore has curated a companion exhibition, Neighbours: Borders, Bodies and belonging, presented in Rooms 8 and 9. Drawing on works from the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru, the National Library of Wales and Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, the exhibition brings together historic and modern works by artists including Robert Frank. These works are shown alongside selected contemporary artists from Wales and internationally, including Tom Wood, Kelly O’Brien, Jonathan Powell and Sebastian Bruno. Through this rich and varied selection, the exhibition explores themes of borders and belonging, the sublime and the everyday, domestic and working-class experience, and the ways in which time shapes our understanding of people and place. This exhibition is part of the CELF (national contemporary art gallery for Wales) project to share the national collections across Wales. Together, Silvers of Space and Neighbours: Borders, Bodies and Belonging offer a compelling and deeply personal examination of landscape, memory and belonging, revealing Finnemore's distinctive ability to connect intimate histories with broader social and cultural narratives. There will be a full learning and events programme accompanying the exhibition including newly commissioned learning resources supported by CELF, national contemporary art gallery for Wales. Read more Toggle Photography