British mythology

Artist Ben Edge is joined by cultural historian, Michael Ohajuru, to explore British mythology and folklore in art.

They will look at Ben Edge's art, in particular 'Children of Albion', which is inspired by the Romantic poet and artist William Blake. The pair will reveal the characters and richness of British myth, folklore and history through an insightful discussion around British identity and its meaning to us in the past and today.

This event is part of our seasonal theme of British artists in connection with current exhibitions at the Gallery, 'Wright of Derby: From the Shadows' and 'Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse'.

Ben Edge is an artist, musician and author. Predominately a figurative artist interested in folklore and storytelling, Edge's paintings and film work depict the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Recent work has included his painting ‘The Animal Handler’, selected for exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the BP Portrait Award.

Ben is currently working on his latest series of works titled ‘Children of Albion’ that is due for exhibition in 2025, and his debut book ‘Folklore Rising’ published October 2024 by Watkins Publishing. His follow up album is also in the works and to be released in 2025 on Glass Modern Records.

Michael I. Ohajuru is Project Director and Chief Evangelist of The John Blanke Project: a contemporary Art and Archive project celebrating John Blanke, the Black trumpeter to courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He is also founder of Image of the Black tours in London Galleries.

Ohajuru speaks regularly on the black presence in Renaissance Europe, with previous appearances at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, the National Gallery, London, Tate Britain, British Library, National Archives and the Victoria Albert Museum on the subject. He is a founding member of the Black Presence in British Portraiture network, managing their podcast – The BP2 Podcast.