Exhibiting Faith

David Trigg is joined by curator Lucy Wood to discuss the intersection of art and faith in the life and work of Gwen John.
Celebrated for her quietly intense paintings of domestic interiors and solitary female figures, John is recognized as one of the finest Welsh artists of the early 20th century. 
From the moment she left her home in Tenby, she pursued a fiercely independent course — first in London and then in Paris — where she lived until the end of her life. Although she was acquainted with leading European modernists, she never aligned herself with any group or movement. Instead, she nurtured a personal visual language rooted in subtle symbolism and a poetic vision of the world. 
John's conversion to Catholicism around 1913 had a profound effect on her art, evident both in her choice of subjects and the evolution of her style. For John, art making became a spiritual practice, and by the early 1920s, she was referring to herself as “God’s little artist.” 
Marking the 150th anniversary of Gwen John’s birth is the ambitious international touring exhibition “Gwen John: Strange Beauties”, which opened at National Museum Cardiff earlier this year and is now on display at National Galleries Scotland in Edinburgh until 4 January 2027, after which it travels to Yale Center for British Art, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC.
In this episode, Lucy discusses the once-in-a-generation exhibition, which brings together well-known paintings with rarely seen works on paper, demonstrating how John’s faith became deeply entwined with her practice. 
Lucy Wood is Senior Curator of Art at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. She is co-curator of Gwen John: Strange Beauties and co-editor, with Rachel Stratton (Yale Center for British Art), of the accompanying publication.
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In this episode David Trigg takes a visit to the Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, a unique museum exploring British history through the lens of faith.
The museum, which opened in 2023, is part of the Auckland Project, a cultural regeneration initiative spearheaded by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer that has transformed the historic Auckland Palace and is bringing positive change to the post-industrial town that surrounds it.
 
Charting 6,000 years of faith in Britain, the Faith Museum explores the myriad ways in which faith has shaped lives and communities across Britain. It includes an active programme of rotating displays and temporary exhibitions in its four dynamic gallery spaces, which are arranged over two floors. 

The Faith Museum showcases over 250 objects from 50 lenders across England, Scotland and Wales, including rarely seen objects, national treasures, personal mementos and contemporary commissions.
David speaks with Jonathan Ruffer about the genesis of The Faith Museum and hears from Amina Wright, who was senior curator between 2020 and 2024. Clare Baron, Head of Curatorial at the Auckland Project, takes him on a tour of the galleries, sharing some of the museum’s prized exhibits, including the mysterious Gainford Stone, the remarkable Binchester Ring and the mesmerising installation ‘Eidolon’ by Mat Collishaw.
To find out more about The Faith Museum visit aucklandproject.org
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In this episode David Trigg explores the work of Morphē Arts, a national network that encourages critical engagement between Christian faith and contemporary art.

Since 2011, Morphē has provided support and resources for arts graduates and early to mid-career artists around the UK, helping them to think through issues of art and faith and to work with integrity in their creative practices.

The network’s co-founders David McCulloch (aka Cully) and Ally Gordon are joined by Sarah White to discuss how Morphē began, the challenges faced by artists of faith, and the various activities and programmes that the charity runs.

David and Cully also meet in Dundee to discuss Morphē's public art project Sharing Not Hoarding and the alternative art space Nomas Projects, an experimental, zero-budget gallery based in the windows of a church office building.

To find out more about Morphe and its programme of events visit morphearts.org or follow on Instagram: @morphe_arts
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In this episode David Trigg is joined by Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts at King’s College London, where he is also director of the Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS).
Designed to encourage encounters with the Bible through art, the VCS is a free online publication providing expert theological commentary in dialogue with historical and contemporary works of art.

Launched in 2018, the VCS is a growing resource that features curated virtual exhibitions, each one consisting of three artworks along with short textual commentaries relating them to a biblical passage.

Facilitating new possibilities of seeing and reading, the VCS explores how biblical texts and works of art can illuminate each other, bringing alive both in new and vivid ways.

Ben tells David about how the project got started, how the virtual exhibitions are curated and how the intersection of art and theology can enlighten our understanding and appreciation of both.

To explore the Visual Commentary on Scripture for yourself, visit thevcs.org

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In the second of two episodes exploring the vibrant artworks of Liverpool’s cathedrals, David Trigg is joined by Laura Moffatt for a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, the largest Catholic cathedral in England.
They are joined by Terry Duffy, former organist and Director of Music at the cathedral, and Dominic Wilkinson, architect and principal lecturer in architecture at Liverpool John Moores University.
Designed by Frederick Gibberd and built between 1962 and 1967, the strikingly modern cathedral commands the Liverpool skyline. Our tour begins with William Mitchell's concrete bell tower and large sliding doors decorated with fantastical winged creatures. Inside, we discuss the Lantern Tower, designed by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens, and Elisabeth Frink's bronze crucifix.
In the Blessed Sacrament Chapel are works by Ceri Richards and Arthur Dooley, while in the Lady Chapel is Robert Brumby's Virgin and Child and Margaret Traherne's coloured windows. George Mayer-Marton's Pentecost mosaic is displayed in the Chapel of Unity, and in the Chapel of St Joseph we find scenes from the life of St Joseph carved directly into the walls by Stephen Foster. Interspersed between the chapels is a series of 14 bronze Stations of the Cross by Sean Rice, who also produced a remarkable sculpture of Abraham, ‘Our Father in Faith’ with which we end our tour.

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