GB · International contemporary art platformThe Glynn Vivian Art Gallery has opened Silvers of Space, a significant new solo exhibition by Peter Finnemore, marking an expansive chapter in his four-decade artistic engagement with his family home, Gwendraeth House, located in the Gwendraeth Valley, West Wales. This exhibition centres on Finnemore’s ongoing exploration of place, memory, imagination and materiality, using his family home as a portal to uncover narratives that connect generations of family history, personal experience and artistic practice.
At the core of Silvers of Space is an investigation into how we represent and understand the world around us. Finnemore draws links between photography, painting and everyday objects, inspired by his family’s background in painting and decorating. He employs trade materials and techniques traditionally associated with decorating to challenge the boundaries between craft and fine art.
The exhibition features layers of wallpaper, paint and decorating materials collected from Gwendraeth House, transformed into contemporary artworks. These pieces are then photographed within the rooms and spaces from which they originated. Rather than merely documenting the artworks, the photographs capture the atmosphere, light and character of the house itself, emphasising the close connection between the works and their surroundings.
Displayed on bookcases, tables, stools and windowsills, the artworks become informal, temporary installations that echo the relaxed and lived-in nature of the home. The project also fosters a dialogue across generations, particularly between Finnemore and his great-uncle Sidney Finnemore, a painter-decorator and amateur artist, whose life and work provide an important reference point throughout the exhibition.
Alongside Finnemore’s works, the exhibition includes selected pieces by contemporary artists from Wales and internationally, such as Tom Wood, Kelly O’Brien, Jonathan Powell and Sebastian Bruno. This diverse selection explores themes of borders and belonging, the sublime and the everyday, domestic and working-class experience, and how time shapes our understanding of people and place.
Silvers of Space is part of the CELF project, the national contemporary art gallery for Wales initiative to share national collections across the country. The exhibition is presented alongside Neighbours: Borders, Bodies and Belonging, offering a compelling and deeply personal examination of landscape, memory and belonging. A full programme of learning and events accompanies the exhibition, including newly commissioned educational resources supported by CELF.
Why it matters