Exhibiting Faith

In this episode David Trigg is joined by Kieran Dodds, a Scottish photographer known for his award-winning photo stories and portraits. 
Kieran’s research-driven projects are centred on the interplay of environment and human culture; how people shape their environments and how those environments in turn shape people.
The conversation opens at the V&A Dundee, where Kieran is exhibiting works from his series Church Forests of Ethiopia, in the museum’s Garden Futures exhibition.
The project explores the way that Christian beliefs have created sustainable landscapes in Ethiopia’s Amhara province, an area in the north of the country where, in the last century, vast amounts of ancient forest were cleared for agricultural use, leaving only the lush groves surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches. 
In Ethiopian Orthodox teaching, a church building should be enveloped by a forest, an oasis recalling the Garden of Eden. Thousands of these small church forests litter the Ethiopian highlands, scattered like emeralds across a sea of dusty farm fields. Kieran speaks about how he came to photograph these remnant forests and how the local churches are playing a vital role in the protection and conservation of the region’s biodiversity.
In addition to speaking about how he became a photographer and the role that his Christian faith plays in his work, Kieran also discusses his Border Patrol and Gingers projects.
The exhibition “Garden Futures” is at V&A Dundee until 25 January 2026. 
Works discussed in this episode can be viewed on Instagram.
To keep up to date with Kieran's projects visit his website, follow him on Instagram and subscribe to his Substack.

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In this episode, David Trigg is joined by curator Jacquiline Creswell and poet Alex Vellis to discuss the exhibition "Hear Us" at Canterbury Cathedral, which centres on the idea of asking God a question.
Controversially, parts of the cathedral's majestic architecture have been covered with eye-catching graffiti. But the building hasn't been vandalised; the colourful graphics, which will leave no trace, present thought-provoking questions for God developed in collaboration with marginalised groups from Canterbury who felt that the cathedral was not a place for them. 
Questions such as ‘do you know me?’, ‘What happens when we die?’, and ‘Why is there so much pain and destruction?’ cover the historic building's walls, floors and pillars, intended to spark conversations about faith, spirituality and personal growth.
Jacquiline and Alex explain how the exhibition was developed, how they persuaded the cathedral to agree to it, and how they have dealt with the storm of criticism it has generated.
The exhibition “Hear Us” is at Canterbury Cathedral until 18 January 2026. 
For more information visit www.canterbury-cathedral.org

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In this episode, David Trigg is joined by Laura Moffatt, Director of Art + Christianity, for the first of two episodes exploring the vibrant artworks of Liverpool’s two magnificent cathedrals: the protestant Cathedral Church of Christ and the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.
This first instalment explores a selection of modern and contemporary artworks displayed in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.
Based on a design by Giles Gilbert Scott, the striking gothic revival structure was built in local red sandstone between 1904 and 1978. With its giant 101 metre tall central tower and massive proportions, the building dominates the city skyline.
The tour begins outside the cathedral, where high above the West Doors is Elisabeth Frink’s The Welcoming Christ (also known as The Risen Christ), a large 5-metre-tall bronze installed in 1993. Inside, Laura leads us to see parable paintings from the mid-1990s by Christopher Le Brun and Adrian Wiszniewski; a 1998 crucifixion scene by Craigie Aitchison, and Tracey Emin’s 2008 neon installation For You.
Our visit to the cathedral coincided with the 13th edition of the Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary art. This year works by two Biennial artists have been installed in the cathedral: glass collages by Ana Navas in the Lady Chapel, and a spectacular large-scale textile installation by Cypriot artist Maria Loizidou near the west end of the cathedral titled Where Am I Now?
David is also joined by the cathedral’s Canon Chancellor Ellen Loudon to discuss why it is important for the cathedral to engage with visual art.
Artworks discussed in this episode:
Elizabeth Frink (1930-1993), The Welcoming Christ (1993)
Christopher Le Brun, The Prodigal Son (1996)
Christopher Le Brun, The Good Samaritan (1996)
Adrian Wiszniewski, The Good Samaritan (1995)
Adrian Wiszniewski, The House Built on Rock (1995)
Craigie Aitchison, Calvary (1998)
Maria Loizidou, Where Am I Now? (2025)
Ana Navas, Passion Flower (2025)
Tracey Emin, For You (2008)
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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.

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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.

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