Permanent Exhibition
Our permanent Heath Robinson exhibition combines original artwork with books, photographs, film & digital media to tell the full story of Heath Robinson’s artistic career.
Inspired by the wonder and mystery of Arabian Nights, renowned artist and Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, London, Michael Petry presents a new exhibition created in conversation with Heath Robinson’s remarkable illustrations.
At the heart of The Genie and Other Stories is The Genie, an installation of 27 individually hand-blown, multi-coloured glass vessels, conceived to hold wishes and displayed throughout the gallery. Around them, reimagined silver objects, monumental necklaces of semi-precious stones, contemporary jewellery and glittering historic jewels evoke the extraordinary treasures and magical objects found within Heath Robinson’s drawings.
Petry’s works are displayed alongside the original illustrations that inspired them, with a particular focus on Aladdin as well as other stories and characters from Arabian Nights. Together they create a conversation between two artists working more than a century apart, exploring fantasy, transformation, value, and the ways stories and images change as they travel between cultures and generations.
With roots stretching across the Middle East and South Asia, these stories have been retold and reimagined for centuries. Petry’s contemporary response opens up fresh perspectives on both their enduring appeal and the cultural histories surrounding them.
The Genie and Other Stories launches the museum’s new programme of artist commissions, inviting contemporary artists to uncover new connections within the Heath Robinson Museum’s collection.
