23 September '23 - 24 February '24
Venue: Sir John Madejski Art Gallery Reading Museum
In the Company of Monsters: New Visions, Ancient Myths
Sir John Madejski Art Gallery
Strikingly contemporary works by artists Eleanor Crook, Paul Reid and Michael Ayrton have been brought together for the first time. The works share an interest in retelling ancient myths of body difference, diversity, and hybridity.
Inspired by the enduring dreams, or nightmares, of bodily ‘otherness’, the creatures portrayed ask vital questions about humanity’s place in nature, the biological and artistic meaning of diversity and difference, and the vital role that history plays in our understandings of the dynamic working of natural history.
The images of Minotaurs and other mythical Ancient Greek hybrids are contextualised by objects, texts and artworks from the University of Reading and Reading Museum collections.
Look out for the In the Company of Monsters: Art in the Dark Months programme of related talks, workshops and residencies. On Saturday afternoons, chat to students including the University Myth Club who, amongst other things, imagine contemporary endings to the stories.
(warning: parents may wish to view the In the Company of Monsters exhibition before letting younger children take a look)
