Shadow Sculpture Exhibition
About the Artist
Will Budgett is a self-taught sculptor whose work explores the dynamic relationship between light, shadow, and form. Drawing inspiration from the grace and fluidity of ballet, his abstract sculptures, when illuminated by multiple light sources, cast shadows that reveal identifiable shapes. The contrast between the grotesque sculptures and the elegant shadows creates a dialogue between stillness and motion, visibility and concealment.
By sculpting with the shadows in mind, Will allows light to shape the physical form, making the shadow as integral to the piece as the sculpture itself. Light becomes a storyteller, unveiling and concealing aspects of the work to highlight the hidden elements within each piece.
His art seeks to illuminate forgotten spaces, creating captivating focal points in the overlooked corners of our lives.
A former design and advertising student, Will made his first shadow sculpture at 17 and showcased his work in the Saatchi Gallery a year later. Since then, his shadow sculptures have been featured in exhibitions around the world, where they continue to captivate audiences with their unique blend of physical form and perceptual complexity.
About the work
Each sculpture begins not with a fixed form, but with a shadow. Working with the lights on from the very start, Will allows the silhouettes to guide the creation, sculpting in direct response to the shadows cast. He uses scrap industrial waste, rigid and angular. Welding each piece into place as he chases the fluid, graceful lines of dancing figures.
This method turns the process into a visual dialogue between light, material, and motion. The final physical sculpture often remains abstract or fragmented when viewed in daylight, but when illuminated correctly, it reveals its hidden choreography in shadow. The sculpture is, in a sense, co-authored by light, with its true form only fully realised at the moment of illumination.
"You begin with darkness. You see the shadows first, elegant and fluid, and only then trace the origins back to the jagged abstraction before you. I begin with light. I chase the silhouettes that are yet to emerge, letting the shadow guide my hand to the sculpture’s existence. We meet in the middle, questioning how something so raw could birth
such grace."