Open to All: an art exhibition of God’s wide-ranging love
‘One’ - Artwork © Elizabeth Gray-King, Photo by Peter Jones.
Peter Jones, a trustee of the Open Table Network, recently visited the ‘Open to All’ art exhibition by Elizabeth Gray-King.
The exhibition, in association with the Open Table Network, is on a national tour of cathedrals and city-centre churches in England and Wales until 21st July 2024. Here is Peter’s reaction to the experience.
‘How do you encapsulate that feeling of discomfort and also longing that can be found in the in-between?’
This was the central question in my mind when I encountered Elizabeth Gray-King’s ‘Open to All’ exhibition at Coventry Cathedral. The artist has put together a thought-provoking collection of her artwork which reflects the diversity of human life, in subtle and yet exposing ways.
“Through Elizabeth’s gentle and honest depictions of diversity, inclusivity and becoming, I found a gentle encounter with the Spirit I had been longing for.”
Much of the work plays with materials and the idea of ‘becoming’. Several pieces (including the gorgeous and compelling ‘Nativity Tancred’) show visible signs of being ‘in progress’, whether it be through canvas stretched over window frames, or leaving parts exposed and unprimed.
‘Nativity Tancred’ - Artwork © Elizabeth Gray-King, Photo by Peter Jones.
For me as a queer, trans man and Christian, Elizabeth’s work fostered a new and at times conflicted sense of visibility. I found her art inviting me to look at myself, my identity, and my current conflicts through this unfinished, becoming, in-progress and in-between way.
I found my time in the cathedral to be a space that held me tenderly. I have a complex relationship with reconciliation: for many years, I was hounded to reconcile my queerness and my faith. Yet, to be in such an exposing and awe-inspiring place as Coventry Cathedral, with its dedication to reconciliation, I found myself invited in by Elizabeth’s work.
In between the space of the cathedral and the stretched canvas, I found my inner conflicts acknowledged and seen, and yet also soothed for a while. For me, this is the wonderful overlap between the art and vision of Elizabeth and the Open Table Network. Within these spaces of becoming, which can sometimes feel uncomfortable, there was an opportunity for connection. Instead of feeling the pressure and demand to resolve things, I found a sense of belonging as I am, without needing to be ‘resolved’ or ‘finished’.
Through Elizabeth’s gentle and honest depictions of diversity, inclusivity and becoming, I found a gentle encounter with the Spirit I had been longing for. I was invited to just be and see myself as I am. I felt seen. I am grateful to have spent time encountering such a precious and tender form of genuine visibility and have been thinking about it ever since.
Visit and find out more
The ‘Open to All’ exhibition continues at Coventry Cathedral until the end of February, then:
3-31 March, St Asaph’s Cathedral, Denbighshire
7 April-4 May, City United Reformed Church, Cardiff
19 May-19 June, Newport Cathedral
23 June-21 July, American International Church, London
