Groundbreaking art exhibition arrives at The Box

By: Jo Clarke
Added: 10 April 2025

A major exhibition celebrating the work of a renowned British artist who has strong connections with Plymouth and the South West is now on display at The Box.

Jyll Bradley: Running and Returning continues until 2 November 2025 and is an intimate and powerful presentation that showcases three decades of Bradley's artistic journey.

The exhibition features photography, film and sculpture and combines historic works that have shaped Bradley’s practice with pieces that are new or rarely seen.

They include a stunning new sculpture – also called Running and Returning – that plays with light; early self-portraits that show Bradley taking on different identities; vibrant geometric works on paper, two films narrated by Bradley that reveal a further exploration of identity and sense of self; and models of some of the large public artworks she’s become known for.

It also includes a photographic series titled Flower Train. Created in 2010 Flower Train draws on Cornwall’s historic flower trade and was named after the overnight trains that once carried fresh flowers from the Cornish fields to places such as Covent Garden.

Visitors to Running and Returning will also encounter a new version of The Hop – a large eye catching sculpture which was originally commissioned for London’s Southbank Centre in 2022. Adapted especially for Plymouth and created from Bradley’s signature materials of fluorescent Plexiglas and LED in dark blue and yellow, the work is set to project a spectrum of colours across The Box’s Tavistock Place square over the summer.

Local audiences will be especially interested in the exhibition's personal links to the region. Bradley was adopted as a baby and her adoptive family has roots in the South West where she spent many summers as a child connecting with her relatives. A series of display cases in The Box’s Active Archives gallery explores this further and includes the baptism record for Bradley’s grandmother as well as information and archival material relating to her grandfather who was a volunteer Fire Guard during the Blitz.

Victoria Pomery, CEO at The Box said: “Jyll Bradley has been creating captivating work for more than three decades, with a pioneering approach and creativity that has resulted in an incredibly broad-ranging practice. Witnessing her ability to combine the highly personal with the public is a real privilege. We are thrilled to be hosting this major exhibition of her work at The Box and to have created the opportunity for audiences in Plymouth and the South West to experience it.”

Jyll Bradley: Running and Returning will be on display at The Box Plymouth until 2 November 2025. Exhibition opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and selected bank holidays (closed on Easter Sunday). Entry is free and there is no need to book.