Once Upon Again Exhibition
Dates: 27 February – 9 March 2013
Location: Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff
Late night opening: Saturday 2 March 2013: join us for an evening of enchanting fairy tales, puppet shows and performances.
“Every fairy tale had a bloody lining. Every one had teeth and claws.” – Alice Hoffman
Once upon Again will be an exhibition of fairy tale inspired work. The title suggests the idea of re-imagined narratives – taking existing fairy and folk tales and retelling them. This follows the tradition of stories being passed from generation to generation over centuries, through cultures and societies, books, art and film. These stories were once rife with violence, disobedience and punishment, dark magic, sex, cannibalism, beasts and fantastical wishes that came true.
The likes of the Brothers Grimm rewrote such narratives to make them palatable for children. They added cautionary and moral awakenings to ensure good judgement, wisdom and common sense was instilled in their audiences. However, the traditional motifs remaining in today’s fairy tales are diluted – happily-ever-after now litters the endings of stories and any trace of real darkness has been stripped away.
“Fairy tales serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society.” – Jack Zipes
The Pack of Wolves will retell fairy tales, as they should be – as they once were, bringing back old values and themes… Once Upon Again. The artists will take inspiration from existing fairy and folk stories and either reinvent them or present new stories using visual narratives. Fairy tales should not only enchant and entertain the audience but also illuminate and inform.
“The enchantments universalize the narrative setting, encipher concerns, beliefs and desires in brilliant, seductive images that are themselves a form of camouflage, making it possible to utter harsh truths, to say what you dare.” – Marina Warner
Puppet Shows
On the evening of Saturday the 2 March 2013 you are invited to join us at Milkwood Gallery to view a series of short puppet shows performed by members of the Pack of Wolves. This will include a traditional Punch and Judy show and a Jabberwocky shadow play.
What’s more the evening will present an opportunity to meet many of the artists involved with Pack of Wolves. We do hope you’ll be able to the Once Upon Again exhibition celebration.
