The Rodd opens 2026 season with exhibitions exploring Greek mythology and experimental photocopy art
The Rodd opens 2026 season with exhibitions exploring Greek mythology and experimental photocopy art
The Sidney Nolan Trust will reopen The Rodd near Presteigne to visitors on Saturday 28 March 2026, launching a new season of world-class exhibitions set within its distinctive rural setting.
Founded by the celebrated 20th-century Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan (1917–1992) and his wife Mary, the Trust offers an inspiring blend of art, heritage and landscape, centred around the historic Jacobean manor house, Rodd Court - a place for artists and creativity for more than 100 years.
Art is presented across the site, from the historic house to the tithe barn gallery. The surrounding landscape offers space to slow down and connect with nature, from the community-run kitchen garden and traditional orchard to views across the beautiful Hindwell Valley.
The Trust is committed to caring for the landscape at The Rodd and continually improving its environmental practices. In partnership with Herefordshire Meadows, two hectares of former grazing land have been transformed into a wildflower meadow to support biodiversity, alongside ongoing restoration of the semi-ancient woodland at Rodd Wood.
The 2026 spring programme opens with two new exhibitions, Another Step Towards Troy and Tending to Nowhere, each offering distinct perspectives on artistic practice, place and material.
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Another Step Towards Troy
28 March – 28 June 2026
Set against the backdrop of Hydra, the Aegean island known for its vibrant post-war, bohemian community of artists and writers, this exhibition explores a pivotal moment in Sir Sidney Nolan’s career.
In 1955, Nolan spent several months living and working on the island, a magnet for free-spirited creatives. He began his first sustained engagement with the myths of Ancient Greece. Immersed in both classical literature and the island’s stark, luminous landscape, which he described as “the most Australian-like landscape in Europe”—Nolan developed ideas that would inform his ambitious interpretations of the Trojan War which would later provide material for his ANZAC paintings.
Another Step Towards Troy presents works by Presteigne based contemporary painter Daniel MacCarthy, alongside those of Sir Sidney Nolan from our collection. Including archival material that trace this formative period, revealing how mythology, place and imagination converged in Nolan’s practice. Daniel MacCarthy focuses on a series of sketches that Nolan made and has established a visual jumping-off point for his own readings of the Greek myths. From Leda and the Swan to Narcissus and Paris, MacCarthy’s subjects both invoke and challenge these ancient stories and their contemporary relevance.
Daniel MacCarthy
A Presteigne based painter who studied at The Royal Drawing School and also attended the inventive TURPS painting programme. Daniel was a recipient of The Sidney Nolan Trust Resident Artist Award in 2021/22. His work moves between observation and imagination, with a practice spanning painting, drawing and printmaking. Taking inspiration from the England-Wales borderlands he combines fragments of memory, allegory, and art history creating images that hover between the familiar and the dreamlike.
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Tending to Nowhere
28 March – 5 July 2026
The Sidney Nolan Trust in association with The Copy Collective, presents Tending to Nowhere, an exhibition created in response to recently rediscovered photocopy artworks by Sir Sidney Nolan, made between 1986 and 1987.
The exhibition presents contemporary artists working with photocopy and reproduction technologies, exploring themes of absence, repetition and the fragility of images.
Through installation, sound, digital media and live elements, the artists reimagine Nolan’s sequences, examining memory, loss and the shifting status of the image in a digital age.
Copy Collective
Copy Collective is an interdisciplinary research group led by Professor David Ferry RE, bringing together artists, curators, musicians and scholars from a range of disciplines and institutions.
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Curator’s comment
Antony Mottershead, Curator and Creative Producer at the Sidney Nolan Trust, said:
“It’s a pleasure to invite visitors back to The Rodd for another exciting season of exhibitions, events and workshops.
This year’s programme brings together historic and contemporary perspectives—from Nolan’s deep engagement with classical mythology to artists pushing the boundaries of everyday technologies. Together, they reflect The Rodd’s ongoing commitment to creativity, experimentation and place.”
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Visit The Rodd
Visitors can explore Rodd Court, Nolan’s former home, featuring evolving displays that illuminate his life and work, alongside the artist’s only surviving studio, historic farm buildings, and tranquil grounds.
A seasonal programme of workshops, events and residencies runs throughout the year, making it a destination for art lovers, curious visitors and families alike.
A pop-up café offers refreshments including tea, coffee and homemade cakes.
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Visitor information
Season: 28 March – 4 October 2026
Opening times: Wednesday – Saturday, 11:00 – 16:00
For full details, visit: www.sidneynolantrust.org
Email: info@sidneynolantrust.org
Pre-booked guided tours are available