Tonya Wiles
My practice constantly overlaps between sculpture, painting and performance. I am proposing a playful approach to the way we view art. Maybe it's not about understanding a painting but experiencing it. Maybe it's not about looking at a sculpture but playing with it. Maybe it's not about the work presented but the people who come to see it.
After spending time with the objects one begins to express a posture toward them. To possibly touch the leather. To possibly stick one's tongue into. To possibly lean against. In a gallery space. To perhaps stick one's finger into. As you do.
Born in Barbados, Tonya moved to London, United Kingdom, where she gained her Bachelor Honours in Fine Art Painting (2005-2008) at Wimbledon College of Art. She then returned to Barbados where she currently works from her studio and tutors at a foundation college.