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Final fortnight to see three important exhibitions at The Box
23rd May 2022
‘Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945’, ‘Zadie Xa: Long ago when tigers smoked’ and ‘Another Crossing – Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage’ all close soon.
As people all over the UK celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the forthcoming bank holiday weekend will also present visitors to Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art gallery and archive with a last chance to see three important exhibitions.
‘Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945’, ‘Another Crossing – Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage’ and ‘Zadie Xa: Long ago when tigers smoked’ all close at the end of Sunday 5 June. The exhibitions feature everything from sculpture by renowned British artists, to craft by international artists from the UK, USA and Holland, to contemporary works inspired by the power of Korean myths and legends.
'Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945' presents a diverse and significant range of post-war British sculpture. Spanning more than 70 years and exploring the work of over 40 artists, this exhibition provides a radical recalibration, addressing the many accounts of British sculpture that have marginalised women or airbrushed their work from art history altogether.
‘Zadie Xa: Long ago when tigers smoked’ features new works by the Canadian artist inspired by two objects from The Box’s world cultures collections: a 1800s tiger puppet from Myanmar and a bamboo pipe from Korea that was acquired in 1910. Xa has used the objects to address folklore and environmentalism, investigating how our relationship with these majestic creatures has changed across the centuries.
‘Another Crossing – Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage’ continues The Box’s Mayflower 400 commemorations, exploring the impact of the sailing of the Mayflower from Plymouth to America in 1620. The exhibition examines the contradictions between the passengers’ belief that they had found a ‘new world’ with the consequences their arrival had for the indigenous peoples of Massachusetts. Each of the ten participating artists has created work in response to the anniversary, utilising only tools, materials and processes that existed in 1620. It’s a concept that highlights the enduring sophistication of historic craft practices like beadwork, joinery, metalsmithing, leatherwork and pottery.
The Box has also been marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War with a range of activities and June is the last chance for visitors to experience some of these too, including a powerful film featuring interviews with veterans and archival footage. The film can be viewed on the large screens in the Media Lab gallery until the end of Saturday 25 June. On this particular date it will run on a loop throughout the day to coincide with the city’s Armed Forces Day. Beyond June there’s still an opportunity for people to participate in the commemorations thanks to an oral history project, which aims to support future understanding of the conflict and help pave the way towards a larger, more significant commemoration in 2032.
To catch the ‘Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945’, ‘Zadie Xa: Long ago when tigers smoked’ and ‘Another Crossing – Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage’ exhibitions before the end of 5 June, and the Falklands 40 film before the end of 25 June, visit The Box from 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is free and there’s no need to book. To get involved in the Falklands 40 oral history project, email collections@plymouth.gov.uk.