Event | Art & Craft

Wilde Volk

Wilde Volk is a celebration of the esoteric, rural, animalistic and masked folk traditions of Northern and Eastern Europe, explored through photography, film, sculpture and sound.

Over the past decade, Sooxanne Rolfe and friends have travelled across Europe documenting masked folk rituals, from the dark, devilish Krampus parades of Germany, to the horned Perchten processions of Austria, the vividly costumed Kukeri masquerades of Bulgaria and the bear dances of Romania.

Through intimate photography and immersive artworks, the Wilde Volk exhibition explores places where folklore, seasonal celebration, disguise and transformation collide. The exhibition brings together international and UK-based artists working across sound, sculpture, glass, textiles and automata.

Featured artists include photographers Kerry Boettcher and internationally renowned photographer Ivo Danchev, alongside immersive soundscapes by experimental electronic music collective Spirit of Gravity, developed from field recordings gathered during Wilde Volk journeys.

Further works include Krampus stained glass by Jeff Kazmir and Penny Toomy, willow sculpture by Woody Fox, and ritual mask works by Simon Chandler. Also featured are a bear-inspired felt painting by Lou Hart, unusual Mumming masks by Jo Goddard and Beth Neam, and a striking Kukeri automaton doll by Helen D’Arcy.

Linking the exhibition to a local Yorkshire folk tradition, Sooxanne is delighted to welcome the collective Whitby Krampus Run (WKR).

Members Neil Simmons, Jason Catlin and Corinne McLavy will be displaying their Krampus masks, carved and constructed using techniques learned in Austria. During the exhibition period, WKR will also stage a live appearance (details to be announced).

Wilde Volk invites visitors to experience these traditions not as relics of the past, but as living, evolving expressions of identity, place and collective imagination.
Throughout the exhibition, there will be workshops, talks and Wilde Volk drawing sessions, curated by James Burt

Venue: In a Land Gallery, Linden Mill -Hebden Bridge
August 8th - August 30
Opening Times. Thursday & Friday 1pm to 5.30 Pm
Saturday & Sunday 12-4 pm
Contact: info@inaland.uk
Admission Free

Good to know

Visit In A Land Gallery to learn about Workshops throughout the Wilde Volk exhibition

Saturday 8th August: Wilde Volk talks with Sooxanne Rolfe and Neil Smogs (of Whitby Krampus Run). Sooxanne will give a personal introduction to the exhibition and Neil will talk about carving his Krampus mask with Austria’s Geisler-Moroder School of Carving. Free, at In a Land. Please book a spot at.

Sunday 9th August: Mask-making with Jo Goddard. Come along and make your own mask inspired by the exhibition.Tickets £15, available from In a Land.

Saturday 15th August: Whitby Krampus Run: A Tale of Mischief Talk from Laurence Mitchell of Whitby Krampus Run. Free at In a Land plus more and more mischief. If you can't make it for the talk, just come and adorn your hooves and horns anyway

Friday 21st August: Sooxanne Rolfe- Wilde Volk: an in-person talk at the Todmorden Folklore Centre about her exploration of European ritual culture. Tickets £5, available from Todmorden Folklore Centre. All proceeds go to the upkeep of the centre!!

Saturday 29th August: Wilde Volk Life Drawing. Francesca Cluney and Jenni Mac present an immersive drawing session inspired by Wilde Volk ritual traditions of Northern and Eastern Europe. Tickets from £10-12, available from In a Land. All levels welcome!

Sunday 30th August: Closing Ritual. The final, unruly farewell to Wilde Volk. In collaboration with Whitby Krampus Run, this closing ceremony unleashes the mischief of the Wilde Volk. Wear your masks. Bring your creations. Bring your bells, rattles, and drum. Free, starting 2pm at In a Land.

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