27.04.26 to 27.06.26

Myth slips, mutates and reappears in strange new forms in this vivid exhibition by The Baron Gilvan.

Drawing inspiration from Ovid and his enduring Metamorphoses, The Baron Gilvan’s new exhibition transforms classical myth into something absurd, immediate and psychologically raw.

Presented as part of Of Myths and Murals, this immersive display unfolds through some of the more unusual spaces across the ground floor of The Sherborne, bringing a darker, stranger and more theatrical current into the season. Figures dissolve into their landscapes, conveying states of breakdown, grief, mania and resilience, while the works themselves seem to hover between carnival, collapse and reinvention. 

In The Baron’s hands, Ovid’s classical gods, goddesses and heroes find themselves in startlingly unfamiliar settings and scenarios. Apollo plays cricket. Daphne hovers between woman, laurel and willow trees made for cricket bats. Narcissus fractures into reflection and echo. Daedalus and Icarus rehearse their catastrophe. Elsewhere, King Midas listens as his band plays on. These figures do not inhabit Olympus. They occupy a stage set of unstable authority, theatrical collapse and comic revelation. 

For The Baron, metamorphosis is not graceful. It is awkward, bodily and grotesque, the moment a mask slips and another face appears beneath it. Admirals become clowns. Gods resemble shipwrecked officers. Figures lean, elongate, sprout extra faces and distort into hybrid forms, as if caught between identities. Working instinctively wet into wet, The Baron allows forms to emerge, dissolve and reform, creating works that feel visceral, unstable and alive. 

Colour plays a central role throughout the exhibition. Sharp pinks, acidic greens, maritime browns and yellows evoke both carnival and decay. Yet these works resist despair. If there is collapse, there is also comedy. If there is ruin, there is reinvention. Laughter becomes a stabilising force. Transformation becomes possibility. 

Presented as part of Of Myths and Murals, and launching alongside Sir Quentin Blake’s The Joy of the Frog, this exhibition introduces a darker, stranger and more theatrical note into the season. Later in the programme, Mat Collishaw’s Last Meal on Death Row will add a further contemporary register. Together, the season reminds us that mythmaking and storytelling remain a vital cultural tradition, still shaping how artists understand the world now. 

The Baron Gilvan lives and works in East Sussex, but his ties to the South West run deep. The region has remained an important source of inspiration throughout his life and work, making this exhibition feel especially resonant within The Sherborne’s own South West setting.

Location: Ground Floor spaces, including the vestibule lobby and library, The Sherborne

Admission
Entry to The Sherborne is free, with donations warmly encouraged.
To help keep our exhibitions free, please donate £10 if you’re able.