Artist Wayne Warren takes over The Commandery in Worcester with contemporary art interventions in the exhibition Aspire starting Saturday 1 April to Sunday 3 September 2023.

The exhibition is themed around aspiration, dreams and ambition, and aims to provide a twenty-first century response to the historic site.

The Commandery in the heart of Worcester has been a medieval monastic hospital, a Georgian home and a 1950s print works, but is most well-known for being the headquarters of the Royalist army during the Battle of Worcester in 1651 - the deciding battle of the English Civil War.

The artworks include Golden Wings, situated in the building’s beautiful Great Hall; a lenticular photograph entitled The Fall; and Growth, a new artwork commissioned especially for the exhibition at The Commandery, featuring gold leaf on oak leaves and acorns, situated upon a stool made of wood from the Boscobel Oak, purported to be the tree King Charles II hid in when fleeing from the Battle of Worcester.

Wayne Warren’s work has been exhibited at Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery, Worcester Cathedral and internationally in Hong Kong, Beijing, New York and Venice. Wayne says of his show at The Commandery: “My intervention show interprets my thoughts and feelings about The Commandery as a physical space, but also adds a contemporary twenty-first century response to the 1,000 years of history contained within the fabulous building.”

Commandery Manager Rachel Robinson says: “We are pleased to bring Aspire to The Commandery as the first contemporary exhibition in the building for many years. It is fascinating to have The Commandery’s history interpreted in new ways and to shed light on its many layers of history.”

The Commandery is open Tuesday - Saturday 10am -5pm and Sunday 11am - 3pm. Normal admission applies, no extra fee for the exhibition. For more information, please visit museumsworcestershire.org.uk.

Image Credit: Wayne Warren, Growth, 2023, © the artist