The works on show in “Inner Space” dismantle visual processes by deconstructing the physicality of mundane objects and using industrial materials to meticulously reassemble them in pictorial space.

Visual perception, which accounts for 80 per cent of human sensory input, is an active and selective process that is intimately involved in thought and concept formation. Far from the passive reception of visual input, perception is an active reconciliation of the complexity of the outer world and the inner self that beholds it. This process plays out on a physical plane in Zelehoski’s work as he manipulates actual objects to conform to his mental image of them. There is nothing unique about the humble, utilitarian objects that the artist selects. They are activated by their reconfiguration and isolation in space. This allows us to see the subtle beauty of materials that might otherwise seem old or decrepit, the history inscribed in their surfaces by the passage of time. At the same time, we struggle to reconcile the reality of the object with the artificiality of its context and configuration. Our minds try in vain to reconstruct the fragmented objects and, to coax them back into our own understanding of space. In this way they remain active and productive on the level of our experience.

Zelehoski insists that his work is more about physicality (or lack thereof) than a specific concept or narrative. Objects are manifest. They don’t have to mean anything. Still, there are silent narratives at play and inevitably, through subjective associations. As old contexts of objects are obliterated, their beauty is highlighted, giving them a new order and coherence.

The show runs through June 24.