To Be Free: Art and Liberty

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What does it mean to be free?

The latest contemporary art exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral this summer explores human rights and freedoms.

The exhibition will include works by internationally renowned artists, including Yinka Shonibare MBE, Cornelia Parker CBE, Jeffrey Gibson, Ai Weiwei, Mona Hatoum and Lucy Jones.

Salisbury Cathedral is home to the best-preserved remaining Magna Carta, on display in the Chapter House. This important historical document speaks of freedom, stating that all people have the right to justice and a fair trial, dissolving the absolute power of the monarchy.

Looking through the lens of contemporary art, this exhibition will focus on five facets of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and freedom from fear.

A centrepiece of the exhibition is Cornelia Parker's Magna Carta (An Embroidery), a 13-metre-long embroidery installation depicting the Magna Carta Wikipedia pages, sewn by civil rights campaigners, MPs, lawyers, barons, artists and prison inmates. This huge piece is the perfect complement to the Cathedral's rare 1215 Magna Carta.

Another astonishing work is Yinka Shonibare's Justice for All. The sculpture was exhibited for the first time in the UK during the summer of 2020, in response to the tragic killing of George Floyd. The towering figure is a reimagining of F.W. Pomeroy's Lady Justice, a statue which stands above the dome of The Old Bailey.

To Be Free: Art and Liberty can be viewed at Salisbury Cathedral from 15 May – 17 September 2023.

Image: © Yinka Shonibare CBE. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2023.