The Yorkshire West Methodist District of the Methodist Church is bringing an exhibition, Everything is Connected, drawn from the Methodist Modern Art Collection to Bradford this autumn, 5 September – 12 October. The artworks will be displayed as part of the City of Culture celebrations across five venues in Bradford city centre, Ben Rhydding, Thornton and Apperley Bridge. Bars and cafes along North Parade in Bradford will also be displaying reproductions of the artworks.
Bradford Cathedral is hosting two works as part of the exhibition under the theme ‘Jesus- Guru, Avatar, God?’. The pieces are selected to reflect on the person of Jesus as depicted from other faith perspectives.
The works that will be displayed in the Cathedral will be The Crucifixion by Francis N Souza, and Dalit Madonna by Jyoti Sahi (pictured). The two paintings by Sahi and Souza respectively displayed at Bradford Cathedral illustrate the city of Bradford’s long association with South Asian arts and heritage, and the variety of styles and subject matter found within the Methodist Modern Art Collection.
Francis N. Souza’s The Crucifixion confronts us with raw, uncompromising lines and colours that refuse to let the cross be domesticated or hidden away. Jyoti Sahi’s Dalit Madonna, rooted in the experience of India’s most marginalised communities, reframes Mary and her child within a world marked by caste oppression and resilient hope. It is a privilege to display Souza’s The Crucifixion, the first acquisition to the MMAC in 1962.
The Cathedral will host a series of events surrounding the exhibition, starting with an opening event on Saturday 6th September.
There will be a lecture entitled ‘Seeing the Spiritual: The Story of the Methodist Modern Art Collection’ on the Wednesday 10th September at 7.30pm. Dr Alice Correia will present an In Conversation event discussing the life and work of Francis N Souza on Friday 3rd October at 6pm.
There will also be an Ecumenical Service on Sunday 7th September at 6pm, uniting Methodists and Anglicans to launch the Methodist Modern Art Collection’s Art Trail for UK City of Culture.