In summer 2024 John will exhibit at and co-curate Into the Wyld a contemporary art residency at the Williamson Art Gallery from the Material Matters Collective.
Into the Wyld explores the continuing legacy of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and its unique connection to the Wirral.
John is a founding member of Material Matters and its artists will respond to key themes in the Gawain poem across three exhibitions:
Nature curated by Patric Rogers from 1st Aug – 13th Sep
Chivalry curated by John from 19th Sep – 25th Oct
Spirituality curated by Angelo Madonna from 7th Nov – 21st Dec
Weavers – a parallel programme of performance, talks, workshops and readings will be curated by Silvia Battista.
Background to the Gawain Poem
Gawain is a masterpiece text of the Middle Ages. The poem tells the story of King Arthur’s headstrong young nephew who after a dramatic bargain with a mysterious figure faces a long journey in which he must, quite literally, keep his head. Sir Gawain’s quest ‘in þe wyldrenesse of wyrale‘ is a fourteenth century narrative that will be given a radical 21st century interpretation by the artists.
Guest artists
Into the Wyld also features work from over 20 invited artists across the region including Amodali – Nick Ball – Abbie Bradshaw – Alice Colquhoun – Kris Darby – Will Dickie – Ryan Gauge – Anna Jane Houghton – Adrian Jeans – Oak Luca – Brendan Lyons – Izzie Major – Piotr Marchewka – Paul Mellor – Margaret O’Brien – Attila Olah – Nicky Perrin – Eleanor Rees – Sarah Jane Richards – Andrew Shaw – Craig Sinclair – Camille Smithwick – Pierce Starre – Angela Stringer – Serah Stringer – Catherine Swire and Niamh Tam.
Talks and workshops
Professor Sarah Peverley (Liverpool University) will open the programme on the 3rd August with a talk on the poem’s history and textual brilliance and the real and imaginary landscapes that Sir Gawain passes through. Each exhibition will offer a family workshop led respectively by artists Madeleine Smart and Alexandra Hales. Associate Professor Catherine Morris (Liverpool Hope University) will moderate artists’ conversations with the public at the end of each exhibition.
Symposium: Spirits of Place 2
The symposium Spirits of Place at the Williamson on 12th Oct will be led by writer John Reppion and features presentations around the themes of the tale by leading scholars and writers from across the UK including Associate Professor Silvia Battista, Dee Dee Chainey, Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, Professor Stephen E. Harding, Professor Carolyne Larrington, Mark Penman and Adam Scovell. Book here.
Material Matters Collective
Material Matters is an artists’ collective and co-operative engaged in artistic and curatorial practices that explore the inter-relationship between materiality, aesthetics and performativity under a collaborative praxis the artists call emotional minimalism.
Dates and times
The Williamson is open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Late opening Friday 10:00am-9:00pm. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Bank Holidays.
Admission is free.
Preview night: Thursday 1st August, 6-8pm please join the Williamson’s mailing list for your invitation
Exhibition opens 2nd August.
Some events are ticketed, please check websites and social media for details.
www.materialmatters.org.uk
Instagram @materialmattersart
Into the Wyld is supported by Wirral Borough of Culture 2024 and Liverpool Hope University.