“The ways of the underworld are perfect”
This is Tau Lewis’ first solo exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ’s Bury Street location, showcasing four sculptural masks created as a unified poetic entity. These pieces symbolically trace the odyssey of Venus during retrograde, reflecting themes of descent, transformation, and rebirth.
Artist: Tau Lewis (b. 1993, Toronto; lives in New York)
Dates: June 3 – July 19, 2025
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 am–6 pm
Venue: Sadie Coles HQ, 8 Bury Street, St James’s, London, UK
Tickets: Free entry.
Exhibition Description
The sculptures, assembled as peaceful emissaries from the spirit realm, invite introspection during Venus retrograde—mirroring her withdrawal from the sky and re-emergence. Inanna (the Sumerian Venus) guides the underlying narrative of descent, challenge, release, and calm. Lewis employs experimental and playful processes in mask-making, sourcing natural pigments (beetroot, hibiscus, turmeric) and applying repurposed textiles, beads, leather, and fragments from earlier works. These materials underscore renewal and multi-layered storytelling. The exhibition’s title echoes a chant meant to comfort Inanna during her descent: “The ways of the underworld are perfect.” These intangible, body-less talismans embody chaotic yet magnetic energies tied to mythic, psychological, and spiritual realms.
