Sigrid Holmwood's London exhibition reinterprets witch trials through defiant paintings
Running until March 3, Sigrid Holmwood's solo show, 'A Terrible and True History,' is on display at Annely Juda Fine Art in London. The exhibition addresses the historical mistreatment of women, drawing on symbolic artworks that reference the witch trials of the 16th century, especially the North Berwick Witch Trials of 1590. King James VI attributed storms that troubled Anne of Denmark's voyage to witchcraft, resulting in torture and coerced confessions. Holmwood's pieces, such as 'Ale wife' and 'Burning heretical books,' utilize symbols rather than direct representations of women. A scroll featured in the exhibition reproduces accounts from the 1591 pamphlet 'Newes from Scotland,' connecting past misogyny to modern issues like Mahsa Amini's murder in Iran and the reversal of Roe v Wade in the US.
Key facts
- Sigrid Holmwood's solo exhibition 'A Terrible and True History' is on view at Annely Juda Fine Art in London
- The exhibition runs through March 3 and features works created in 2022
- Holmwood references the 1590 North Berwick Witch Trials in Scotland and Denmark
- King James VI blamed witchcraft for storms disrupting Anne of Denmark's sea journey to Scotland
- The exhibition includes a cotton scroll reproducing accounts from the 1591 pamphlet 'Newes from Scotland'
- Works depict symbols like texts, pyres, ships, and devils instead of women directly
- Holmwood connects historical persecution to contemporary issues like Mahsa Amini's murder and Roe v Wade
- The artist transforms witch imagery into symbols of feminist empowerment and resistance
Entities
Artists
- Sigrid Holmwood
Institutions
- Annely Juda Fine Art
- ArtReview
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Scotland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Iran
- United States