From 26 April, St Edmund’s Roundhay will be offering a unique way of reflecting on the meaning of Easter in the modern world.
A four-week exhibition, Stations of the Cross, will feature work from 14 Leeds-based artists, each reflecting on one of the traditional stages of Jesus’ journey to the cross. The show will include sculpture, painting, video, installation and drawing, and hopes to open up some fresh insights on a familiar narrative.
The featured artists come from a range of Christian traditions, as well as those from other faiths or with no religious faith. One of the artists, sculptor Jon Vogler, is a long time member of St Edmund's. He says, "Art seeks to visualise the unimaginable. Since the Middle Ages, the Stations of the Cross have helped believers imagine how one man confronted agony, despair and the finality of death to redeem broken humanity. I am thrilled and fearful to follow great artists who have tackled this awesome subject."
Exhibition curator Si Smith says: "Art provokes thought. Our aim is to stimulate some thinking and discussion about the significance of the Easter story today, rather than seeking to provide pat answers. The recent fuss surrounding Stephen Fry’s comments about God remind us that Christian tradition has never hidden from the issue of suffering. The Stations of the Cross exhibition will help people to reflect on how we make sense of that."
The exhibition will run from 26 April to 20 May at St Edmund's, Lidgett Park Road, Roundhay LS8 1JN.
Si Smith is a Leeds-based artist and illustrator. He has previously exhibited work in St Edmund’s and curated shows at the Left Bank venue in Burley and the Greenbelt festival.