Victoriana: The Art of Revival, the Guildhall Art Gallery’s first exhibition of contemporary art, isn’t the nostalgia fest the title suggests. Sure, there are Staffordshire dogs (not to be confused with Staffies) arranged on a mantlepiece. But you should check out the lamp, a moth-speckled hallucination by YBA provocateur Mat Collishaw. And the wallpaper – ‘Devil Damask Flock’ by Timorous Beasties, which was last seen adorning Irene Adler’s bedroom walls in ‘Sherlock’. Clearly there’s a fevered narrative beyond the frills and chintz. While these neo-Victorians aren't a unified group, the show is full of artists who look back to the nineteenth century with wary eyes.
Find out all about the show: read our interview with curator Sonia Solicari here.