Jonathan Baldock features in 'Food in Art'

'Food in Art' is part of the museum's series 'Civilisation in Art', a multifaceted series of exhibitions exploring life through artistic interpretation. The exhibition will present the work of 66 artists from different countries, exploring a variety of media such as painting, photography, video, object and installation. 

Works from Jonathan Baldock's Corn Dolly series are exhibited. These are inspired by pagan corn dollies, traditionally made from the last sheaf of corn cut at Harvest. Historically, counties in the UK were associated with different shapes of corn dolly, but Baldock's works are a reimagined blend of various designs. He recreates the corn dollies as masks, a recurring motif throughout his practice, invoking the theatrical and psychological potency of hiding one’s identity.

Baldock initially made these life size masks from corn for a performance during his exhibition at Wysing Arts Centre in 2012, before choosing to cast the masks in bronze, transforming ephemeral handicrafts into permanent works. The artist intentionally used a deep bronze colour to resemble historic artefacts that could be found in a museum. Baldock's interest in craft and working class histories is evident throughout his practice and stems from his family's agricultural background working on the land in Kent, England.