Flora Fairbairn & Co have partnered with curator and art advisor Katie Heller on Once Upon a Time…, a presentation exploring folklore, myths and fairytales. This group exhibition brings together a wide selection of artists at various stages of their careers to explore the traditions, beliefs, customs, and stories that have shaped our collective cultural histories, and the roles they play today.
Folklore, myths and fairytales examine the light and the dark in human nature. They provide a vessel for our own inventions and our interconnected journeys. As cultural products of the legacy of storytelling, we identify with these narratives and continue to add and refine, elaborating and translating for new audiences. They engage us with lessons in morality and coach us in perseverance. Stories provide comfort, excitement and humour, as well as a thread that connects each of us through the history of the spoken word.
Once Upon a Time… presents a selection of new and existing works, primarily paintings, drawings, photographs, installation and works on paper, that highlight some of the many diverse perspectives on folklore from different parts of the world throughout the ages. The exhibition runs from 6th – 25th May 2022 in a wonderful 2-storey double fronted space on Chiltern Street, courtesy of The Portman Estate. From 25th May – 31st August, an expanded version of the exhibition will then run online on the Flora Fairbairn & Co. website. A percentage of profits from the exhibition will be donated to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Participating artists include:
Mamma Andersson, Paul Archard, Oliver Barnett, Samuel Bassett, Greta Bellamacina, Paul Benney, Anna Boggon, Bea Bonafini, John Caple, Rob and Nick Carter, Dinos Chapman, Aisha Christison, Miranda Donovan, Ben Edge, Rosannagh Scarlet Esson, Minnie Evans, Tessa Farmer, Christina Forrer, Olga Frantskevich, Tom Gallant, Jasper Goodall, Leah Gordon, Phil Goss, David Hockney, Ann-Marie James, Mark Karasick, Tae Kim, Judit Kristensen, Henry Krokatsis, Liane Lang, Hannah Lees, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz, Georges Liautaud, Mário Macilau, Robert Montgomery, Eleanor Moreton, Ryan Mosley, Mariele Neudecker, Abe Odedina, Zak Ové, Rebecca Parkin, Oliver Pearce, Paige Perkins, Freya Pocklington, Paula Rego, Barry Reigate, Lorna Robertson, Orlando Seale, Nooka Shepherd, Kiki Smith, Janet Sobel, Alexis Soul-Gray, Suzanne Treister, Johnson Weree and Justin Williams.
Gallery Talk: Thursday 19 May from 6-8pm
Clover Stroud & Kate Spicer: The Elevation of Death and Grief by Magical Thinking
Clover Stroud (The Red of My Blood) and Kate Spicer (Lost Dog: A Love Story), are both Sunday Times bestselling writers. In this talk they discuss magical thinking and how this can elevate grief into something majestic and hopeful. The two writers explore the use of magic, myth and the miraculous to reconnect with the inner self. Touching upon their own personal stories about loss, the conversation aims to examine magical thinking, either provided by myth, legend, religious belief systems, or of your own imaginary accord as an approach to find a path through the tangled forest of grief.
