Twilight Interiors - Linen Lampshade

Opening 6 - 8pm Friday 27 February

11 - 5pm Saturday 28 February

12 - 4 Sunday 01 March

Twilight Contemporary and Twilight Interiors is delighted to present 'Shades,' a group exhibition examining the linen lampshade.

Every three months at Twilight Contemporary we present an exhibition that examines everyday objects and pieces of furniture. Our inaugural show in the series, 'Chair I,' investigated and reinterpreted the iconic Bentwood chair.

The earliest lampshades date back to the 17th century when oil lamps were beginning to be widely used across European cities and their flames required greater protection from wind and rain. As gas lighting became more prevalent in the home, we begin to see lampshades move beyond pure utility, into more decorative forms. This period saw the rise of more ornate shapes, engravings and blown glass. But it was with the advent of electricity in the late 19th and early 20th century that materials such as linen became popular, valued for their ability to soften the glare and add warmth to a room.

Linen lampshades offered designers a canvas to add flair and texture to a room. Josef Franck was famed for adorning simple linen lampshades with botanical prints, while mid-century modernists embraced linen for its organic texture, restraint and elegance.

If the bentwood chair provided artists with a fixed structure to work with, the linen lampshade offers a surface. Across 'Shades,' artists draw upon the material’s natural qualities – shaping, bending, patching, staining, and layering linen to explore light, shadow, and domestic warmth. We are excited to welcome you.

Exhibiting Artists:

Jessie Chorley, Paola Estrella, Beverley Duckworth, Kangan Arora, Hannah Refaat, Archana Pathak, Matilda Roque, Tessa Silva, Maria Yiannikkou