Tim Silver: Talking to the shadows

The observation of materials and forms in various states of change and transition has been at the heart of Tim Silver’s art for the past two decades. As one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, Silver is well known for using mutable materials in the creation of his sculptures. Ranging from crayons, watercolour pigments, builder’s putty to confectionary, once cast, Silver’s sculptures begin to change. Sometimes it is simply the atmospheric effects of humidity, air and gravity that activate the works disintegration, whilst others are thrust into transition via fire or detonation resulting in the sculptures dramatic end. In this way Silver sees his sculptures as objects that ‘participate in the world, in real time’ rather than objects of permanence.

For his exhibition at McClelland, Silver will present a performative video alongside a series of steel and bronze sculptures cast directly from trees ravaged by the devastating 2012–13 Dunalley bushfires in Tasmania. This new series of sculptures poignantly captures the residue of nature after a catastrophic event.