Terra-Forming Exhibition at Wilton Library
Solo exhibition by Wilton artist Mathew Tucker featuring landscape paintings exploring our relationship with nature and technology.
Mathew Tucker, a Wilton-based artist, is currently exhibiting his solo show titled "Terra-Forming" at the Wilton Library. The exhibition opened in January 2026 and features a collection of portrait-format landscape paintings that explore the relationship between humans, nature, and technology.
Tucker's work emphasizes the importance of reducing screen time and increasing connection with the natural world. The paintings employ a "looking through the window" conceptual framework, with foreground elements that separate viewers from the landscape view. This artistic approach references how contemporary society often perceives nature through media screens rather than direct experience.
The exhibition illustrates three main artistic components: the relationship between viewer and viewed objects, humanity's spiritual connection to nature (drawing from teachings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity), and contemporary perceptions of separation from nature due to technological mediation. By using vertical portrait format rather than traditional horizontal landscape orientation, Tucker deliberately references the smartphone screen experience while challenging conventional landscape painting traditions.
Tucker's creative process involves different cognitive approaches depending on the task—requiring silence for conceptual problem-solving and allowing music or podcasts during execution phases. As both an artist and parent, he discusses the balance between maintaining internal artistic deadlines and managing family responsibilities.
This exhibition represents an opportunity to experience contemporary landscape art that addresses timely themes about technology, nature connection, and human perception in the modern world.