Take a trip Into the Wyld at The Williamson

A new exhibition exploring Wirral’s role in a mystical medieval poem has opened at The Williamson Art Gallery.

Dozens of new pieces of contemporary art - complimented by a rarely seen painting from the gallery’s collection - explore themes and the legacy of the epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which tells the story of King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain, and his quest into the ‘Wilderness of Wirral.’

Produced by the Material Matters Collective, Into the Wyld features works by 20 invited artists and is supported through Wirral’s Borough of Culture 2024 programme and Liverpool Hope University.

Into the Wyld will see three separate exhibitions explore a different theme from the 14th century poem: 

• Nature - curated by Patric Rogers from 2 August to 13 September
• Chivalry - curated by John Elcock from 19 September to 25 October
• Spirituality - curated by Angelo Madonna from 7 November to 21 December

Complementing the exhibitions is Weavers - a parallel programme of performance art, poetry readings, children’s workshops, film screenings and a symposium, curated by Silvia Battista.

Each exhibition will also offer a family workshop led by artists Madeleine Smart and Alexandra Hales. Associate Professor Catherine Morris from Liverpool Hope University will moderate artists’ conversations with the public at the end of each exhibition.

A special symposium - Spirits of Place - will take place on 12th October and bring together guest speakers from across the fields of academia, literature, art and archaeology. For more information and to book a place visit the Williamson Art Gallery website.

Featured artists for Into the Wyld include: Angelo Madonna – Silvia Battista – John Elcock and Patric Rogers in collaboration with Amodali – Abbie Bradshaw – Nick Ball – 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.

Into the Wyld Part One: Nature is free to visit. The gallery is open Wednesday and Thursday (10am-5pm), Friday (10am-9pm) and Saturday (10am-5pm).