Exhibiting Faith

• S2 E03 • Jonathan A. Anderson: The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art

  In this episode David Trigg speaks to Jonathan A. Anderson to discuss his new book The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art (University of Notre Dame Press, 2025), which challenges the notion that religion is irrelevant to modern and contemporary art. Jonathan is the Eugene and Jan Peterson associate professor of Theology and the Arts at Regents College in Vancouver and his scholarship explores the interrelations of art history, theology and religious studies, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary art.In his book, Jonathan calls for the histories of art “to be reread and rewritten in ways that understand religion and theology more seriously,” and encourages new ways of thinking and writing about artists whose works are more theologically complicated than has previously been recognised. Jonathan is the author of Modern Art and the Life of a Culture: The Religious Impulses of Modernism (with William Dyrness, 2016), and many articles and book chapters on related topics, including “Modern Art” in The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion (2021). Trained as an artist, art critic, and theologian, Jonathan has a PhD from King’s College London and an MFA from California State University Long Beach. Prior to his chair at Regent College, he was the postdoctoral associate of theology and the visual arts at Duke University (Durham, NC) and an associate professor of art at Biola University (La Mirada, CA).To learn more about Jonathan A. Anderson, visit his website and follow @jonathan.a.anderson on Instagram.Support the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please consider buying me a coffee

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• S2 E02 • Beth Hughes: Curating in Salisbury Cathedral

  In this episode, David Trigg speaks to Beth Hughes, an independent curator and researcher who was Visual Arts Curator at Salisbury Cathedral from 2023 to 2025.Beth discusses her time at Salisbury Cathedral, where she programmed six ambitious exhibitions, including the group shows ‘To Be Free’, which explored human rights and freedoms; ‘Our Earth’ which focused on the impact of climate change; and a solo exhibition of work by British artist Shezad Dawood.Her final exhibition, ‘Living Water’, brings together works by six contemporary artists who explore the power of water, both as a symbol and an influence that shapes our world. Beth speaks about what inspired the exhibition and takes us on a tour of its works, which are situated in relation to the cathedral’s stunning architecture and ecclesiastical context. Previously, Beth was Curator at Arts Council Collection for eight years and is currently Curator and Creative Producer for Lubaina Himid Projects. Beth is also undertaking a PhD with Manchester University to examine the representation of contemporary British working-class artists in publicly-funded art collections, and she leads the Working Class British Art Network.Artworks discussed in this episode can be viewed on Instagram @exhibitingfaith For more information on ‘Living Water’ visit the Salisbury Cathedral website.To learn more about Beth Hughes, visit her website and follow @beth_beth_hughes on Instagram.Support the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please consider buying me a coffee

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• S2 E01 • Mahtab Hussain: What Did You Want To See?

  David Trigg speaks to Mahtab Hussain, an artist who uses photography, film and sculpture to investigate the Muslim experience through themes of identity, displacement, and belonging. Mahtab was raised in Birmingham, where he fell in love with photography at Joseph Chamberlain College before studying the subject at Nottingham Trent University and Goldsmith’s College, London.While working in the museums sector, he became frustrated about not seeing his own community represented in art, and he returned to photography in 2010, going on to create award winning projects such as You Get Me? a series of intimate photographic portraits examining the identity of young British Asian men.In this episode, Mahtab discusses his recent work, the British Muslim experience and his personal journey to faith. The conversation focusses on his solo exhibition What Did You Want to See? at Birmingham's Ikon Gallery.Commissioned by Ikon and Photoworks, What Did You Want to See? addresses themes of surveillance, visibility and the act of looking in relation to the Muslim community in Birmingham and beyond. The exhibition responds to a covert counter-terrorism operation known as Project Champion, which in 2010 placed thousands of Muslims living in Birmingham under the watchful eye of more than 200 CCTV cameras. Officials claimed that the scheme was a local policing initiative but, after the true purpose of the cameras was revealed, local outrage forced the scheme to be abandoned.*** Please note that this episode makes reference to racist language that some listeners may find offensive ***Artworks discussed in this episode can be viewed on Instagram @exhibitingfaithFor more information on What Did You Want to See? visit the Ikon Gallery website.To learn more about Mahtab Hussain and his work visit his website and follow @mahtabhussain on Instagram.Support the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please consider buying me a coffee

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• S1 E05 • Laura Moffatt: Ecclesiart

  David Trigg speaks to Laura Moffatt, director of Art + Christianity, an organisation seeking to foster and explore the dialogue between art, Christianity and other religious traditions. Since the 1990s, Art + Christianity has forged relationships with galleries, institutions and places of worship through projects, events, and publications. It also works to raise awareness of the rich heritage of modern and contemporary art in church buildings.Laura studied Fine Art at the University of Newcastle and Arts Criticism at City, University of London. Before becoming director of Art + Christianity, she worked for Art Monthly and the Hoxton gallery, PEER. She is a member of The Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches and sits on the Church Buildings Council, which advises on the care, conservation and development of church buildings. Laura speaks about her work with Art + Christianity and takes us on a tour of London churches to visit a selection of modern and contemporary artworks that the organisation is documenting as part of its Ecclesiart project.Artworks visited:John Hayward, interior murals, St Michael & All Angels, London FieldsRona Smith, North Elevation, Lumen United Reformed Church, BloomsburyStephen Cox, Adam and Eve, St Luke's Church, ChelseaEcclesiart currently lists more than 80 permanent works of art in churches and cathedrals, reflecting the diversity of commissions and charting developments in ecclesiastical art and design. Artworks discussed in this episode can be viewed on Instagram @exhibitingfaith and on the Art + Christianity websiteSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please consider buying me a coffee

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• S1 E04 • Matthew Krishanu: Painting About Religion

  David Trigg speaks to the London-based painter Matthew Krishanu, whose figurative paintings explore themes of childhood, religion and the legacies of colonialism. Matthew was raised in Bangladesh in the 1980s, a formative period which has inspired several bodies of work, from paintings based on his childhood adventures with his brother, to his Mission series addressing his father’s role as a priest in the church of Bangladesh, and his House of God paintings, which depict church buildings in the Bengal landscape.Matthew’s paintings of religious meetings, ceremonies and churches are painted in a simple and abbreviated style with thin washes of paint and bold, assertive marks. Yet his uncomplicated aesthetic belies a complex web of historical and cultural undercurrents that serve to problematise his beguiling images. Matthew’s interest in making paintings about religion led to his Religious Workers series, created for the Southbank Centre’s Everyday Heroes exhibition in autumn 2020, which responded to the Covid-19 pandemic with a vivid outdoor celebration of key and frontline workers.Whether addressing religion, the legacies of Western imperialism, or the history of religious art, his works resist polemics, instead inviting conversation and contemplation.Artworks discussed in this episode can be viewed on Instagram @exhibitingfaith @matthewkrishanu and on Matthew’s website website: www.matthewkrishanu.com Matthew’s first monograph will be published by Anomie Publishing in spring 2023: www.anomie-publishing.com/matthew-krishanu/Support the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please consider buying me a coffee

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