Your Art, Unlocked

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, writer and art historian Lydia Figes visits Nottingham Castle to unlock a unique wooden sculpture by Helen Chadwick. On this wooden cube we catch glimpses of a woman’s body – in one image she’s crouched down, in another she’s wearing a white bra. The work, which belongs to a wider series charting the artist's childhood and early adulthood, is made more poigna...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked art historian and curator Nicola Moorby visits Dulwich Picture Gallery to uncover why the English artist John Constable copied a moody Dutch landscape by Jacob van Ruisdael. Join Nicola as she gets to grips with not one but two windmills, and hear from Jennifer Scott, the director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, about the subtle differences between these seemingly...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, writer and critic Gemma Tipton visits the Ulster Museum in Belfast to unlock a sculpture by artist Alice Maher made using a very surprising material. Picture a small girl’s party dress. It isn’t frilly or fancy. There is, maybe, something a little 1950s about it. There are no sequins or cartoon unicorns on this frock. Instead, it is made entirely of bees. Now...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, journalist, author and editor Holly E. J. Black visits Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery to unlock a remarkable collection of Japanese prints that transport us to Japan’s ‘floating world’. The extremely popular collection of Japanese ukiyo-e at Blackburn includes intricate, colourful woodblocks by the likes of master artists Hiroshige and Hokusai. But how did...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, art historian, writer and educator Melissa Baksh visits Pallant House Gallery in Chichester to unlock a subversive sculpture by artist Nina Saunders . This object resembles a dustpan but it’s covered in a rich red and gold fabric, and it appears soft rather than sturdy. It feels both familiar and strange – but what exactly is it and what era does it belong to...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, artist and researcher Adéọlá Dewis visits the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea to unlock a very personal work by Welsh and Ghanaian artist Anya Paintsil . The background of this unusual portrait looks to be made from a rug and there’s an image of a figure stitched together using different fabrics and materials – including real hair. The sitter isn't a well...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, curator and art historian Natalie Rudd visits the campus at the University of Warwick to unlock a puzzling outdoor sculpture by Laura Ford. This is a hybrid creature, part human, part cat. What is it doing here and why does it look so preoccupied? Join Natalie as she tries to answer these questions by chatting to Sarah Shalgosky, Principal Curator at the Univ...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, writer and broadcaster Damian Barr visits the Hunterian in Glasgow to unlock a very large and very naked painting by Scottish painter John Duncan Fergusson. Join Damian as he gets to grips with Fergusson's six dancing figures and listen to Anne Dulau, Art Curator at the Hunterian, tell us about the influence of Paris on this famous Scottish Colourist. But mor...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, arts educator, learning officer and curator Jon Sleigh visits the Walker Art Gallery to unlock a cheeky ceramic piece by Matt Smith. Two figures are linked together, one wearing a dress and one trousers. But look closely and you'll see that they are both sporting the most indulgent mutton chop sideburns! The two figures are in fact male presenting – the work...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, curator, facilitator and artist support worker, Steph Roberts visits Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in Merthyr Tydfil to unlock an unusual series of visual sound works by singer and scientist Megan Watts Hughes. Megan’s ‘Voice Figures’ were made in the nineteenth century using glass plates, powders and coloured pastes. But the secret ingredient? The...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, arts journalist and writer Precious Adesina unlocks a quietly subversive work by British painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Against a loosely painted background, a woman in a green jumper looks away from the viewer. Who is she and why isn’t she looking at us? Hear Precious explain how Lynette’s paintings are based on fictional figures, and listen to Rhys Morgan,...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, art dealer and art historian Dickon Hall visits the F. E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, to unlock a surreal, headless sculpture by Frederick Edward McWilliam. As curator Dr Riann Coulter explains, McWilliam used many found objects in his work, including things we might think of as rubbish. Chocolate Soldier (1977) was in fact ca...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, writer and lecturer Shane Strachan unlocks a playful print by Scottish artist Donald Urquhart in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. Taking the form of an alphabet, the work challenges us to think about what or who represents Scotland – the Loch Ness Monster perhaps, or Irn Bru and Sean Connery? Hear from Griffin Coe, Art Curator at Ab...

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, writer and curator Ruth Millington visits Wolverhampton Art Gallery to unlock a curious work by the American artist Jann Haworth. Hear Ruth talk to Jann about soft sculpture and sexism, and listen to senior curator Sanna Moore explain the importance of this 1962 work to Wolverhampton's unrivalled Pop art collection. But more importantly, find out what donuts...

What’s a soft sculpture? How do you make art using your voice? And do you need to paint a real person for it to count as a portrait? Find out in Your Art, Unlocked, a new podcast that brings to life some unexpected objects in museum collections. Join our six hosts as they visit the UK’s museums and galleries to unlock some surprising art treasures. This is your art in your museums and galleries, s...