Exhibition
Jonathan Baldock, Held, 2026 (Installation View) at Arnolfini. Courtesy of the artist and Arnolfini. Photography by Dan Weill.
Held is a solo exhibition of textiles, sculpture, sound and scent by critically acclaimed British artist Jonathan Baldock. The exhibition was developed by Arnolfini in Bristol who also commissioned Bear Hug, a monumental wild bear sculpture. It invites visitors into a direct physical encounter, to be held in the arms of the bear.
Baldock’s work draws on the natural world in all of its complexity. He has adorned the gallery walls with appliquéd textiles depicting flowering plant life and a mother bear tending to her cubs. These depictions of growth and care are shown alongside fantastical part-human, part-animal, part-plant creatures. These works conjure a folkloric world in which the natural world can be nurturing, wildly exciting and even dangerous.
The artist is well known for his use of traditional skills to make his work. Inherited skills such as sewing and appliqué connect the artist to his mother and grandmother. Works in the exhibition often point towards connection to family, friends and other artists who Baldock feels connected to. The artist invites us all to feel these connections in a gallery that has been transformed by sounds, scents and symbols of flourishing life.
Held is a touring exhibition developed by Arnololfini where it was originally exhibited (27 June – 27 September 2026). The exhibition has been generously supported by Henry Moore Foundation.
