This exhibition is a visual exploration of the fragmentation and reconstruction of perception. In a modern society dominated by information overload and cultural manipulation, emotions and perception are no longer instinctive reactions imbued with internal tension. Instead, they have been shaped into fragmented and distorted processes driven by external stimuli. Through a delicate interplay of color, form, and symbolic imagery, Gill captures the struggle and breakthrough of individuals caught between social noise and emotional constraints.
Gill’s inspiration stems from his upbringing in a working-class family on the outskirts of London, an environment that sharpened his perceptual sensitivity. His work delves into the style of Empathetic Impressionism, a term reflecting his adaptation of the Impressionists’ rapid documentation of light and shadow to capture the hidden emotional nuances of everyday life. His art portrays the subtle, multifaceted reactions people experience in varying emotional states. This style is not merely an exploration of visual form but a profound artistic expression of emotional flux, social repression, and psychological fractures. Gill simulates the ebb and flow of emotions through variations in color and shape, using distorted and fragmented geometric lines to convey the individual’s struggle within cultural constraints.
This exploration engages in a compelling dialogue with the French philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky’s reflections in The Empire of Emptiness. Lipovetsky argues that under the influence of postmodern consumerism, human perception is undergoing a transformation marked by “lightness” and a loss of depth, reducing emotions to market-driven symbols and commodities. In contrast, Gill seeks to transform this perceived lightness into a visual metaphor charged with tension, a symbolic effort to resist the vacuum of meaning. The flowing geometric lines and fractured structures in his work resonate like suppressed but undiminished emotions echoing through the cacophony of societal noise. His work reminds the audience that perception is not merely a passive act of reception but an active process of construction.
In this exhibition, Gill invites viewers to confront a fundamental question: how can we reconstruct authentic perception amidst the overwhelming noise of information and cultural control? He calls for a return to perception’s inherent tension and diversity. By re-examining the depth and fluidity of emotion, he challenges the hollowed-out perception criticized by Lipovetsky and aims to rebuild a more vibrant, self-affirming sense of being.
Gilles Lipovetsky
Core Concepts
• In his works The Empire of Emptiness and The Age of Individualism, Gilles Lipovetsky argues that modern society has entered an extreme phase of individualization, where consumerism and media culture continuously reshape individual emotions, leading to a “lightened” sense of existence and emotional detachment.
• He introduces the concept of hypermodernity, emphasizing how emotions in modern society have become superficial and instantaneous, with human connections gradually reduced to fleeting, surface-level interactions.
Connection to Dylan Gill
• Dylan Gill’s work similarly examines how emotions in modern society are manipulated and fragmented by external forces such as advertising, news media, and political rhetoric. His paintings reflect this fragmented emotional state, capturing simultaneous experiences of anxiety, joy, and loneliness—what Lipovetsky describes as “emotional drift.”
• Both Lipovetsky and Gill highlight the erosion of emotional depth caused by modern culture. However, while Lipovetsky critiques this phenomenon through theoretical analysis, Gill emphasizes the richness and reconstructive potential of inner emotions through his art, offering a visual response to the challenges of contemporary emotional fragmentation.
