20-21 Visual Arts Centre is exploring the worlds of witchcraft and wizardry with their new exhibition, ‘Waking the Witch’, which opens at the centre on Saturday 19 January 2019.
The exhibition reflects the British Isles’ strong relationship to magic and the occult with the chants of witchcraft echoing throughout its history.
It looks to the importance of craft, ritual and land on the practice of the ever shifting figure of the witch.
Traditional witchcraft has a strong connection to the earth with an intimate knowledge of herbs, plants and the elements – as well as the human body. As gatekeepers to altered consciousness, witches have been both feared and sought out for their dealings with the unknown.
Historically persecuted as an outsider, the witch has been taken on by artists as a challenging force to prevailing norms and as a symbol of dissidence. Looking to symbols, tools and the coven as a space for focusing collective intent, the artists in this exhibition explore the path of the witch as one for how we can connect with the earth and each other.
Artists featured in the exhibition are Ben Jeans Houghton, Verity Birt, Anna Bunting Branch, Nadine Byrne, Mary Beth Edelson, Fiona Finnegan, Blue Firth, Fourthland, Georgia Horgan. Serena Korda, Candice Lin, Katarzyna Majak, Lucy Stein, Ayesha Tan Jones and Cathy Ward.
As part of the exhibition, a podcast has been created called ‘A Common Craft’, to give visitors more insight into the world of witchcraft through interviews, music and storytelling. You can listen to the podcast on the exhibition’s dedicated website, www.wakingthewitch.uk.
Waking the Witch is a touring exhibition curated by Legion Projects, with support from Arts Council England, and will be on display at 20-21 until 23 March 2019.
20-21 Visual Arts Centre is on Church Square in Scunthorpe. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and admission is free.
Keep up to date with everything going on at the gallery by visiting www.2021visualartscentre.co.uk or by finding 20-21 Visual Arts Centre on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Cllr Elaine Marper, cabinet member responsible for Culture on North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“This is set to be a captivating exhibition that looks into our country’s pagan routes and the real witches that have influenced these artworks.
“Once again, Scunthorpe’s 20-21 brings us a unique exhibition that is sure to bring in intrigued visitors from across North Lincolnshire and beyond!”
