LORE at Sunny Bank Mills

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
A woodland glade. In the centre is the bough of a tree draped with different coloured ribbons. There are two wooden footstools underneath the ribbons.
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

LORE at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery, Leeds 20 October — 24 December 2024 Entrance is free — Visit now

Sunny Bank Mills presents the perfect exhibition for the autumn season – LORE explores folklore in its contemporary manifestations from UK-based artists.

The pieces in the show were gathered through a call out where 500 entries were eventually whittled down to the final 14. The resulting display is a satisfying mix of practices and perspectives, making LORE anything but predictable. It offers a fresh view of the concept of folklore through modern approaches while remaining true to its roots: stories passed down through generations. From a travelling museum to yarn creatures and ritual sites, the exhibition is a peek into the mysterious and constantly evolving world of folklore.

Sonia Moran, Arts Engagement Co-ordinator and LORE Co-Curator explains: “Folklore is essentially stories. We create stories with creatures and characters to explain difficult and important events that happen in life, to grapple with complicated emotions and to give those feelings a narrative of their own. The work in the exhibition was selected because it really explores the multi-layered narrative of folklore.” The selected artists then, are excellent storytellers. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of the works on display.

Woo Jin Joo was born in Seoul and works with textiles and embroidery. Her East Asian heritage informs her ideas, focused on myth-making and the combination of traditional folklore with her own, contemporary experience. Her work often features otherworldly creatures, part-animal and part-deities: one of her works in LORE is part of her Dokkaebis project for which the artist creates ‘Korean Goblins’ said to possess inanimate objects. Here, it’s in the form of an endearing (and disconcerting) four-legged, sock-wearing creature, with fluffy blue yarn covering its back.

Libby Bove is an artist known in folklore circles, reviving old customs to bring magic back to everyday life. Her project The Museum of Roadside Magic is a travelling archive and display set up in a van (complete with a gift shop in the attached caravan) which holds a collection of objects related to magical practice and folk custom in the maintenance of vehicles. Bove focuses on journeys and the road as a site of ritual.

The other exhibiting artists are: Adam Hogarth, Alfred Beesley, Herfa Martina Thompson, Jihyun Kim, Karen Okpoti, Kit George, Lunatraktors, Sally Barton, Olana Light, Tom Glencross, Yeu-Lai Mo and Yvadney Davis.

LORE reflects our fascination with ancient rituals and stories, whilst going even further to show how these can be useful in creating new ways of thinking about our beliefs and rites today.

LORE at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery, Leeds 20 October — 24 December 2024 Entrance is free Visit now

Performances

Date
Time
Session Features
22 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
23 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
24 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
25 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
29 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
30 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
31 October 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
1 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
5 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
6 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
7 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
8 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
12 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
13 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
14 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
15 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
19 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
20 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
21 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
22 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
26 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
27 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
28 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
29 November 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
3 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
4 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
5 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
6 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
10 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
11 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
12 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
13 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
17 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
18 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
19 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
20 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
24 December 2024
10:00am — 4:00pm
20 October 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
27 October 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
3 November 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
10 November 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
17 November 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
24 November 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
1 December 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
8 December 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
15 December 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm
22 December 2024
12:00pm — 4:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

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