OPENING: Searching For an Electric Peanut | Priest Gallery, Johannesburg | Thursday 05 July, 6PM

“Is it possible to be in the forest, and perceive it as a flat screen? This is a metaphor for an aspect of contemporary living. Our lives are shaped by our connection to physical objects and our digital experiences. Beyond what we are consciously aware of, our interaction with the digital and virtual have a profound effect on our psyche. This has both negative and positive implications, it is our inevitable reality.” – Jonathan Silverman An on-going series of work - Searching For An Electric Peanut - borrows its title from a term used by Philosopher Timothy Morton for describing the after-image which is imprinted onto the retina, the after-image phenomena, curiously, is also employed in Tibetan Buddhism for particular Image/vision based devotional practices. Throughout Jonathan’s career and work he has sought out themes which question and explore comparative religion and expressions of the numinous, by employing tools that aim to challenge perception and visual representation. Through the use of time-based and hand-made artwork, his practice attempts to create a space in which the physicality of painting is more strongly perceived by its juxtaposition with ephemeral and digital based imagery.