PAINTINGS EXHIBITION

Professor Stephen Farthing began a body of work in 2011, inspired by a story of a miracle that was told to him by a Coptic Bishop in Cairo. The paintings were created continents apart as Farthing travelled around the world. It took him nearly eight years to complete  his miracle journey which he was determined would only be shown when the series was finished.

The Miracle paintings were premiered in 2018 at Salisbury Cathedral as part of RA250, a series of events and exhibitions that celebrated the 250th anniversary of the  founding  of the Royal Academy. Supported by Candida Stevens Gallery we exhibited all 13 paintings.

Stephen’s intriguing and vibrant Miracle Paintings adorned the stone walls of Salisbury Cathedral. The paintings had never been seen before as he had wished for them to be shown together in a context where the concept of a miracle may be realised, a space where belief and faith may be celebrated.

Each work seeks to capture the energy of the miraculous moment- not just religious miracles, although there are some references to religious events from the Bible, but the miracles of everyday life. The transformation of notes into music, words into books , the miracle of breathing, giving birth- all transformative moments which he tries to harness on his canvas.

The exhibition was opened by Professor Ben Quash Professor of Christianity and the Arts. Director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred at Kings (ASK)