INTO THE WYLD
August - September 2024
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum
Curated by Angelo Madonna, as part of Material Matters Collective
‘Into the Wyld is the best exhibition Williamson Art Gallery has hosted for a long, long time. I’m not saying the others were bad, I’m just saying that this is outstanding. As a listener/reader/observer, whatever I/we/you am/are, the entire experience is like listening to a bed time story, and vehemently believing in the magic.’ Patrick Kirk-Smith. Published in Art in Liverpool
‘Over at the Holy Hede, til he hade eft bonk / In the wyldrenesse of Wyrale’
The Arthurian Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a masterpiece of 14th century Middle English that directly cites the Wirral. The project ‘Into the Wyld’ was a five-month residency of the collective Material Matters at the Williamson Gallery and Museum in partnership with Wirral Borough of Culture 2024 and Liverpool Hope University. The general aim of the project was to reflect through storytelling, myth making, contemporary art and performance, on the profound ecological interconnections that sustain life on this planet.
The project consisted of three major exhibitions and a series of events at the Williamson:
NATURE: August-September 2024. Curated by Patric Rogers.
CHIVALRY: September-November 2024. Curated by John Elcock.
SPIRITUALITY: November-December 2024. Curated by Angelo Madonna
WEAVERS: ran through the three exhibitions. Curated by Silvia Battista consisted of talks, poetry readings, performances and artists discussions by the following scholars and artists.
Curated by Angelo Madonna. The tale of the Green Knight reminds us that art and spirituality are not separate realms but intertwined aspects of the human experience. For this exhibition artists explore the mysteries of existence, confront our fears and desires, and seek meaning in a world that often opposes easy comprehension. Featuring works by the following artists: Angelo Madonna, John Elcock, Patric Rogers, Silvia Battista, Adrian Jeans, Amodali, Anna Jane Houghton, Abbie Bradshaw, Margaret O'Brien, Camille Smithwick, Niamh Tam, Oak Luca, Angie Stringer & Nicky Perrin (Landline).
For ‘Into the Wyld’ I proposed a game. A game that explored what happens when you give up control to ‘The Unseen’.
What makes you believe what you believe?
A drawing hangs depicting the Spirit of Nature who holds a mobile featuring the characters from the tale. Her dress is adorned with all aspects of the natural earthly realm. She is playing the ultimate game which the characters from the tale are merely trying to replicate. The Spirit becomes a symbol for reconciling the unconsciousness, a spiritual drive to dance with the chaotic forces of nature on a cyclical quest for individuation.
The artwork is hidden from view only to be revealed through a game of chance. Around the painting curtains are drawn. In front of the artwork lies an illustrated card game to play and depending on the viewer's result will give instructions whether or not the curtains may be opened to view the work.
Does the artwork have a deeper significance now? Maybe the artwork will remain veiled; will the viewer ignore the result and open the curtains anyway? Through limitations significance is heightened; making connections in a chaotic world creates an order that reveals your inner self.
