Spotlight on Libby Bove

Libby Bove: A fusion of folk traditions and contemporary art

Libby Bove’s work often transposes ancient customs, rituals, and traditions into unexpected contemporary settings, speculative futures, and re-imagined pasts. Blended with a sense of the surreal, her art invites audiences to reconsider the boundaries between history and fiction, reality and myth.

Her work interrogates how folklore—the stories, beliefs, and rituals passed down through generations—can provide insight into contemporary life. She explores how these stories can reveal universal truths about human nature, identity, and culture. Her artistic practice serves as a conduit for these narratives, amplifying their relevance in today's world.

Bove’s work has gained significant recognition, with recent awards including the Bloomberg New Contemporaries (2024), The Kenneth Armitage Sculpture Prize (2024), Spike Island Graduate Fellowship (2024), and being shortlisted for The Hari Art Prize (2024). She has exhibited widely, with notable recent exhibitions such as LORE at Sunny Bank Mills (2024), The Museum of Roadside Magic (Touring, 2024), and Lore & Land at Walcot Chapel (2024).

Folklore and mythology: Exploring cultural narratives

Working with Bove is an exciting development for The Box, as the Southwest has a strong tradition of folklore and mythology. These ancient stories have shaped cultures and societies for centuries, helping people explain the world around them, communicate values, and teach lessons about life, death, and morality. Through Bove’s interpretation and practice, we will explore how these stories continue to evolve in modern times.

In the Spring season of 2025, The Box will look at the themes of folklore and mythology, leading up to the exhibition ‘John Lyons: Carnivalesque’ which is organised by the Whitworth, The University of Manchester in collaboration with The Box. This exhibition will highlight age-old stories through contemporary art. Bove’s digital commission will be featured alongside this exhibition in the Media Lab Gallery, giving a perspective on folklore through digital art.

Reimagining the Film Archive: A platform for innovation

Libby Bove’s Folklore and Mythology commission is part of Reimagining the Film Archive (RtFA). This programme seeks to explore new ways of engaging with the vast film archive held at The Box by commissioning artists to work with moving image collections in innovative ways. Through this process, Bove’s digital work will bring a contemporary perspective to traditional narratives, contribute to the ongoing conversation around folklore, challenge how we interact with and understand archival material today and help preserving and amplifying the significance of these stories for future generations.

Discover more

• To learn more about Bove's practice, visit her website
• Read her full biography and interviews on her work on A Space for Art
• Read an interview with Libby Bove on the Tradfolk website
• Find out more about Reimagining the Film Archive, a three-year programme (2023–2026) supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the BFI Screen Heritage Fund
• Don't miss our spotlight on Tyler Mellins, who was awarded for the Surrealism digital Commission, whose work will also be featured in the Reimagining the Film Archive programme

Image credits: Banner: Libby Bove Portrait - by Leonie Freeman.
Second image: Libby Bove, So Turns the Wheel of the M.O.T. A journey through rituals associated with the annual vehicle safe, 2023.