This exhibition explores the story behind the siren, mythological female creatures whose song lured sailors to their deaths. From ancient cultures and mythology to contemporary activist responses, the works in this exhibition take you on a journey of seduction, suffrage, slavery, migration, gender fluidity, activism, and freedom.
Featuring works from Tate, Leeds Art Gallery, the De Morgan Collection, Royal Academy and Cartwright Hall, this exhibition draws on the Ferens’ own collection and shows it in a way it has never been seen before. Experience works by Pre-Raphaelite superstars John William Waterhouse, Evelyn De Morgan and Edward Burne-Jones, Julie Brook, Abe Odedina, and Emma Stibbon. The exhibition begins with a stunning 5th century BC Greek vase depicting the first known artwork showing the Sirens and Ulysses from the British Museum.
The exhibition will also include a newly commissioned ‘Siren Song’, by Artist in Residence and folk singer Maddie Morris.
Credit: John William Waterhouse, R.A. A Mermaid, 1900. Photo credit: ©Royal Academy of Arts, London; photographer: John Hammond
