Major exhibition of Surrealist art ready to open at The Box

Forbidden Territories celebrates 100 years since Surrealism began with the publication of André Breton’s ‘Manifesto of Surrealism’ in 1924. Taking its title from Breton’s description of the Surrealist project as “the perpetual excursion into the midst of forbidden territories” the exhibition, which has been organised by The Hepworth Wakefield, is the first UK survey to explore the role of landscape in one of the most influential artistic, intellectual and literary movements of the twentieth century.

Forbidden Territories brings together a wide variety of surrealist works by both British and international artists working across a range of mediums, from Breton’s circle in the 1920s, through to Surrealism’s ongoing resonances in contemporary art. The exhibition takes visitors on a fantastical journey through an array of surrealist landscapes, showing how this dynamic and far-reaching art movement is still inspiring artists today.

Artists on display include Salvador Dalí, Eileen Agar, Lee Miller and Max Ernst, alongside later Surrealists such as Leonora Carrington, Edith Rimmington and Marion Adnams, and contemporary artists working within the legacy of Surrealism like Helen Marten, Nicolas Party, Wael Shawky and Ro Robertson.

Presented in groupings that transcend a chronological timeline, Forbidden Territories explores how Surreal ideas can turn landscape into a metaphor for the unconscious, fuse the bodily with the botanical, and provide means to express political anxieties, gender constraints and freedoms.

In ‘Landscapes of the Mind’ well-known paintings by Max Ernst and Yves Tanguy draw on the artists’ childhood memories of the forests of Bavaria and seashores of Brittany respectively. They are shown alongside work by Swiss artist Nicolas Party who is widely known for his monumental, immersive murals made with soft yet vivid pastels.

Meanwhile, ‘Contested Terrains’ shows how Surrealism has often responded to times of political upheaval. A series of works, made around the time of the First World War, by Salvador Dalí, Gordon Onslow Ford and Merlyn Evans convey political tensions through uncanny landscapes. Work by Egyptian contemporary artist Wael Shawky is presented alongside Lee Miller’s photographs of Egypt taken during the war, creating a dialogue between surreal depictions of the North African landscape with undertones of political and societal tensions.

In the ‘Biomorphic Natures’ section Forbidden Territories includes works by central figures from the Surrealist movement like René Magritte but also foregrounds previously neglected artists and narratives. This includes the relationship between Surrealism and ecology with visual conversations drawn between the hybrid creatures of Desmond Morris and Leonora Carrington from the 1950s, and those of artists who are working today like Shuvinai Ashoona and Stefanie Heinze.

Forbidden Territories also includes the first presentation of a new gift of Jean Arp’s plaster sculptures, generously donated to The Hepworth Wakefield by the Jean Arp Foundation. The plasters span several decades of the artist’s career and exemplify the shapes, symmetry and dynamic rhythms that were at the heart of his practice. The exhibition also features work by Mary Wykeham, an under-recognised Surrealist artist who decided to become a nun in 1950, at the height of her career. Written out of the history of the Surrealist movement and art history until recently, she was inquisitive and experimental and used her works to analyse her spiritual beliefs.

‘Bodies of Water’, the final section of Forbidden Territories, explores ideas of gender identity and sexuality and brings together new work by contemporary artists María Berrío and St Ives-based Ro Robertson alongside Surrealists such as Eileen Agar, Dora Maar and Ithell Colquhoun. Colquhoun, whose work blended Surrealist technique with an interest in the occult, mysticism and nature, moved to Cornwall in the late 1940s and remained in the region for the rest of her life.

Surrealism in the South West has a rich legacy rooted in mystical landscapes and avant-garde communities. While less recognised than locations such as London or Paris, the region’s unique geography, dramatic coastlines, folklore and heritage have provided fertile ground for the Surrealist imagination. In 1937, some of the most original painters, sculptors, writers and photographers of the 20th century including Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, Roland Penrose, Lee Miller and Henry Moore gathered at Lambe Creek, near Truro for a month-long holiday. Contemporary artists who have lived and worked in Cornwall and Devon ever since have continued the Surrealist tradition or incorporated elements of it into their work.

Forbidden Territories: 100 Years of Surreal Landscapes is on display at The Box from 24 May until 7 September 2025. A ‘Summer of Surrealism’ programme will run alongside it and includes talks, exhibition tours, family-friendly workshops from late July until the end of August, a ‘Super Saturday’ on 16 August and a display featuring the winners and entries to a children and young people’s art competition inspired by Surrealism and landscape.

An exhibition catalogue published by Thames and Hudson, edited by The Hepworth Wakefield’s Head of Collection and Exhibitions, Eleanor Clayton and featuring essays and texts the offer contemporary and historical perspectives on Surrealism is also on sale in The Box’s shop.

Image credits
• Nicolas Party, Landscape, 2022. Courtesy of the Artist and The Modern Institute/Webster Hamilton Ltd., Glasgow. Photo: Adam Reich.
• Wael Shawky, The Gulf Project Camp Sculpture #1, 2019. © Wael Shawky. Courtesy Lisson Gallery.
• Jean Arp, Landscape or a Woman, 1962. Wakefield Council Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield). Photo - Rüdiger Lubricht, Worpswede.
• Mary Wykeham, Dream – Desert, 1979. © Judith Wykeham. Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield).