ASHMOLEAN NOW: DAPHNE WRIGHT

FREE EXHIBITION

13 Jun 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

Gallery 8

Admission is FREE

The fourth in the Ashmolean NOW exhibition series, where contemporary artists are invited to create new work inspired by the Ashmolean’s historical collections.


This exhibition focuses on sculptures by Irish artist Daphne Wright and has been curated by Ashmolean director, Xa Sturgis.

Conceived in partnership with the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, the exhibition will feature several new works which consider the tradition of still lifes and respond to the sculptures in our Cast Gallery.

Daphne Wright works in unfired clay and jesmonite and has long experimented with casting.

Central to the exhibition will be Sons and Couch, a life-size sculptural artwork cast in jesmonite of the artist’s sons, made especially for this show. They have featured in their mother’s moving and personal work since an early age. This sculpture of them as young men was created with their agreement and collaboration.

Also on show will be Fridge Still Life, which has not been on public display previously, alongside other works by Wright and objects from the Ashmolean's own collection.

Several works by the artist relate both to the domestic and the Museum itself, and in doing so continue the exploration of time, memory and identity.

Two key Ashmolean pieces that speak directly to Daphne's work are included in the exhibition: the fragments of a young Hercules defeating the Nemean Lion in plaster and Rachel Ruysch's intricate painting, 'A Forest Floor' Still Life of Flowers.


Exhibition supporters

The creation of new artworks was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Arts Council of Ireland

Arts Council Ireland logo in black and white

Additional support from:
Culture Ireland

Culture Ireland logo

Ashmolean Collective
Frith Street Gallery, London


About Ashmolean NOW

For this series of exhibitions in Gallery 8, each artist explores different areas of the Museum’s broad collections from the artists' individual perspectives. The first summer Ashmolean NOW 2023–24 exhibition showed work by Flora Yukhnovich and Daniel Crews-Chubb, followed by Pio Abad in February 2024. Currently on show is Bettina von Zwehl until spring 2025, followed by Daphne Wright opening in June 2025.