In the long silence

Workplace is pleased to present In the long silence by Welsh artist Dylan Williams.

Drawing from a disparate range of sources, including film stills, memories, and transient scenes observed in everyday life, Williams new works are a reconciliation of intimate, familiar moments that evoke feelings of anticipation, suspense, and psychological tension - revealing the sublime in the mundane.

The title of the exhibition is drawn from a line in The Mill, a poem by seminal Welsh poet R. S. Thomas whose often harsh and austere writing style echoes his country’s rugged and forbidding landscapes and the challenges of rural existence, all whilst maintaining a meditative and transcendental quality.

Akin to Thomas’ poetry, Williams’ work is suffused with a quiet intensity, where moments of stillness are charged with an emotional and psychological weight. Painted with a muted, soft palette, he captures the subtle interplay of light and space, evoking the tranquil serenity of the Welsh landscape. Whether depicting the calm glow of the moon through a mackerel sky at night in Moonlight makes me transparent, or the hazy silhouettes of winter trees at dusk in Setting leaves on fire, Williams brings an extraordinary quality to the most ordinary of moments, offering a contemplative reflection on the metaphysical connections between human beings and their environment.

In counterpoint to the expansive landscapes Williams presents two intimate yet beguiling domestic scenes. Loved depicts a tightly cropped room with a loosely rendered white cat standing just outside two beams of light cast across the floor, whilst The flower fadeth presents the outstretched palm of a hand with a dandelion framed perfectly in the centre. Together with the other paintings in the exhibition, these works suggest a loosely connected narrative, analogous to film stills detached from their original context. Witnessed fleetingly they point back towards Williams as both observer and gentle protagonist.

Open by appointment. Please email info@workplace.art to arrange a visit.