The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial
5 June - 8 September 2026
Book Now Admission: Tickets from £13. Concessions & family tickets available.About
The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial is a major exhibition exploring how the two most powerful phenomena in the sky have inspired creativity, curiosity, and belief throughout human history and across different cultures. Occupying two floors of the Gallery and spanning nine major exhibition spaces, the show presents artworks, installations, and objects that reveal how artists have responded to the Sun and the Moon. The exhibition features the works by established artists, by emerging talent and archival material throughout.
The exhibition unfolds as a journey through a complete 24-hour cycle, moving from dawn through daylight, into the depths of the night. The exhibition includes two major installation works: Helios, a monumental sculpture of the Sun created by artist Luke Jerram, and Massless Suns and Dark Suns by teamLab, an immersive installation that will envelop visitors with spheres of light.
The first four chapters of the exhibition focus upon the Sun. The journey begins with Dawn which reveals how the Sun and the Moon were integral to early belief systems and mythologies. A second chapter, The Sun Rising, reflects on time, seasons, and rituals. The exhibition continues with Zenith where we look at how artists respond to the sun at its highest and its relationship to our bodies. Setting Sun follows, with a focus on transformation, including a section about tarot and a presentation of Nancy Holt’s film Sun Tunnels.
At the halfway point of the exhibition, we present Helios by Luke Jerram. This enormous reproduction of the sun as a globe in a double-height gallery features a collage of over 400,000 photographs of the surface of the sun.
The second half of the exhibition focuses upon the Moon. Evening considers the Moon’s enduring fascination for artists and introduces us to some of its qualities and influence. The room features Saad Qureshi’s large-scale split moon is presented, suspended in the space. Walking on the Moon focuses on the cultural impact of the Apollo missions and the lesser-known stories behind space exploration, including the contributions of craftswomen and designers who helped make the missions possible. At its centre is Moon Landing, a collaborative work by Margo Selby and composer Helen Caddick.
The penultimate chapter, Midnight, delves into the Moon’s long association with folklore, magic, dreams and the ‘witching hour’. The exhibition concludes with the Darkest Hours, featuring Massless Suns and Dark Suns and Massless Sun and Surface of the Sky by the internationally renowned teamLab. This immersive installation will invite viewers to reflect upon the majesty of the universe in which we live.
Featured artists include: Harry Adams, Bunmi Agusto, Rabia S. Akhtar, Else Alfelt, Thelma Ayre, Roya Bahram, Álvaro Barrington, Christiane Baumgartner, Su Blackwell, Marj Bond, Carol Bramley, Christopher Le Brun, Gill Button, Gareth Cadwallader, Helen Caddick, Leonora Carrington, Marguerite Carnec, Patrick Caulfield, Bernard Cheese, Billy Childish, Rune Christensen, Isobel Church, Cecil Collins, Jaclyn Conley, Mark Connolly, Jack Coutu, Martyn Cross, Sophie Crockett, Ellie Davies, Tom Davidson, Malcolm Dakin, Shezad Dawood, Elizabeth Deane, Joseph Wright of Derby, Susan Derges, Frank Bernard Dicksee, Peter Doig, Sam Douglas, Ben Drury, Evelyn Dunbar, Marcel Dzama, Ben Edge, Syotatsu, Bryony Ella, Mary Fedden, Stanislav Filko, Darcey Fleming, Ian Fleming, Hannah Frank, Olivia Fraser, Terry Frost, fuchsia, Kay Gasei, Sky Glabush, Maro Gorky, Douglas Gray, Kimberley Gundle, Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurriwiwi, Tom Hammick, William Hogarth, Barbara Hepworth, Jamie Hewlett, Dan Hillier, Akiko Hirai, Francis Edwin Hodge, Nancy Holt, Sigrid Holmwood, Thomas Hooper, Henry Hudson, Maqbool Fida Husain, Yinka Ilori, George Wallace Jardine, Luke Jerram, Sunju Jin, Jitish Kallat, Orla Kane, Jai Khanna, Owain Kirby, Klaus Janson, Marcos Kueh, Kunisada Sanmu, Jim Lambie, Audrey Large, Elizabeth Loveday, Lucy Mahon, Dora Maar, Sekai Macache, Alexander Mackenzie, Dindga McCannon, Oliver McConnie, Dave McKean, Richard McVetis, Anders Scrmn Meisner, George Méliès, Andrew Millar, Henrietta Hoyer Millar, Joan Miró, Kate Montgomery, Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Charles Newington, Catherine Nickford, Jacque Njeri, Ellis O’Connor, Fumie Onuki, Zak Ové, Shanti Panchal, Katie Paterson, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Rusty Peters, Álvaro Petritoli, Aina Petrova (Ursuuna Archives), Otto Piene, Freya Pocklington, Emilie Pugh, Carol Puruntatameri, Saad Qureshi, Arthur Rackham, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley, Sam Riley, Martha Rosler, Michael Rothenstein, John Russell, Anwar Saeed, Anna Sampson, Margo Selby, Anwar Jalal Shemza, David Shrigley, James Simmonds, Monica Sjöö, Carolein Smit, Sophie Smorczewski, Annelie Solis, Austin Osman Spare, Georges Spiro, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Olivia Strange, Shannon Swinburn, Sinta Tantra, Sue Thatcher, Lenore Tawney, teamLab, John Titchell, Suzanne Treister, George Turner, Paula Turmina, Elisabeth Vellacott, Joe Webb, Whatshisname, Lian Zhang.
Curatorial project partners include: Royal Museums Greenwich, The Salisbury Museum, The Atlantis Bookshop.
Supported by headline sponsor Cazenove Capital.
