Santa Fe, NM – Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art is please to present a solo exhibition of steel and wood abstract sculpture by Peter Millett, titled Venus. The exhibition opens Friday, December 4, and runs through January 2nd. Please join us for the opening reception, Friday, December 4, from 5-7pm.
In Venus, Millett’s latest body of work, his signature geometric forms have been transformed and softened. Triangular forms don’t come to such a sharp point, instead gently curving around to the other side. These abstract pieces are more likely to remind you of an embrace, which leads your eye towards figurative sensual forms rather than architectural or geometric forms. There are suggestions of body parts and cradle like forms, with gentle curves and lines. Millett explains, “I simply follow were the work takes me, responding to the dialog with materials, bringing the forms to their resolved conclusion. This body of work lead me to the feminine form.”
With this change of form, Millett has also responded with new surfaces; reflective silver leaf and copper, polished graphite and muted colors. All these varied elements add up to a fresh new body of work in Venus that will transform the gallery space. Millett continues, “My work, though spare, is not minimalist, but rather modern. I seek to distill emotional energy and experiences. I like my work to impact a space the way a melody can trigger a feeling or memory. Non-literal…non-verbal.”
Based in Seattle, Washington, Millett has exhibited widely over the past 30+ years and is an accomplished sculptor working in wood and steel. His work is represented in dozens of public and hundreds of private collections. This is Millett’s third solo exhibition at Chiaroscuro and comes after a major exhibition of large scale architectural pieces in Seattle this Fall.