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Where there’s light, there must be shadow. Whether an artist knows it or not, light and shadow are essential to all forms of art, either as the subject of the piece, or the material being used to create it. From the dramatic chiaroscuros of the European Renaissance to the interactive and immersive experiences of Mary Corse and Yayoi Kusama, light and shadow continuously fascinate artists. Pieces that play with this dynamic are eligible for Maryland Federation of Art’s 6th annual Light and Shadow exhibition. Entry is open to all artists residing internationally. All original 2D or 3D artwork in any media is eligible for this online show. Works selected by the juror will be on display in MFA’s online gallery, Curve Gallery, from December 15, 2023 – January 31, 2024. Exhibition Chairs: Richard Niewerth and Wil Scott.
Department Chair of Photography and Film at VCU,
Jon-Phillip Sheridan served as assistant chair of Photography + Film for nine years and is currently the chair. Sheridan has had solo exhibitions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA; and Heiner Contemporary, Washington, DC. Sheridan has received two VMFA fellowships, most recently in 2020, and was honored by Oxford American as a Top 100 Emerging Southern Artist. Sheridan has been featured in many group exhibitions including Declaration, the inaugural exhibition of the Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA; Anti Grand at University of Richmond Museums; and Looking at The Land at the RISD Museum; Providence, RI. His work has been in the US State Department’s Art in Embassies program and is included in the collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Markel Corporation, Capital One and the Federal Reserve Bank.
As an artist, the themes of light and shadow have always constituted fundamental pillars in my own work and have also been the primary elements that capture my imagination in great art. Above all, I am drawn to the interplay of extreme light and shadow, viewing them as metaphors for the boundaries of comprehension, both in the literal sense of vision and in the broader realm of understanding. Whether it be the blinding brilliance of light or the profound darkness of midnight shadows, these extremes signify moments where reason yields to speculation, wild imagination, or faith. In historical paintings and our cultural visual heritage, light often symbolizes virtue, holiness, enlightenment, or otherworldliness, while shadow is frequently associated with malevolence, chaos, or concealed dangers. However, there exists a seemingly contradictory association with shadow—a realm of invisibility and safety—a refuge for those on the margins of society. These were my thoughts as I selected works for this show. I looked for works that played with hiding and revealing legibility to invoke moods or suggest the unknown. I looked for works that used light and shadow to make the mundane surprising and used drama to add theatricality to the everyday I looked for works that suggested other worlds. Because for me, these two extremes, (light and shadow), encapsulate a rich tapestry of symbolic dualities employed in allegory. They also serve as tools wielded by artists to craft mood and atmosphere. But, equally significant, they represent alternative realities, altered states of being, and dimensions beyond our immediate perception, akin to heavens or underworlds.