On the evening of Thursday 5 June, ‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ launched in Gallery 1 and 2 at Attenborough Arts Centre, drawing in audiences to explore Jason Wilsher-Mills most personal exhibition to date.

Reimagining the gallery space as a hospital ward, Wilsher-Mills’ immersive installation of sculptures, illustrations and interactive dioramas challenges the cultural and societal perceptions surrounding disability, medicine and the human body. Through a kaleidoscope of colours and a touch of magic realism, the exhibition is also a celebration of family, his working-class background and the opportunities he received through hospital education, inviting audiences to explore childhood memories and creativity through the artist’s trademark humour.

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ delves into the transformative moment of Wilsher-Mills’ diagnosis of an autoimmune condition, triggered by contracting chickenpox at the age of eleven. Paralysed from the neck down until the age of sixteen, and unable to physically explore the wider world around him, the artist came to inhabit an interior world filled with action heroes, TV shows, films, comics, books and his own vivid imagination.

The exhibition’s title alludes to 2:54pm at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, on 1 August 1980 when he witnessed his parents being told of his diagnosis at the end of his hospital bed. He can pinpoint this exact moment in time as it coincided with British athlete Sebastian Coe winning the gold medal in the 1500m race at the 1980 Summer Olympics, which was being shown on the ward’s TV at the same time.

In the exhibition, visitors are invited to step into the physical manifestation of this memory, encountering a mesmerising dreamscape where a monumental figure lies in a hospital bed watching TV, surrounded by oversized plastic toy soldiers delivering the virus, inflatable germs that hang in the air and a 30-metre illustrative wallpaper depicting significant episodes from the artist’s life.

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ is curated by Shamita Sharmacharja, Wellcome Collection Curator, and commissioned by Wellcome Collection.

Attended by Wilsher-Mills’ himself, the evening brought together audience to experience an incredible installation of work with humour, joy and celebration. Speeches were held by Andrew Fletcher, Director of Attenborough Arts Centre, Darren Henley CBE, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, Jason Wilsher-Mills, and Emily Sargent, Senior Curator at the Wellcome Collection. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Nishan Canagarajah, also attended the evening to explore the extraordinary work.

Thank you for all who attended for making the event an incredible night, and we look forward to more of our communities exploring Jason’s work. As well as visiting the exhibition, we have free opportunities to get involved through our art resources available in the Salmon Gallery, upcoming Saturday Gallery Art Clubs, and our after-hours art experience Attenborough Late inspired by the themes in Jason’s work.

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ will be exhibited in Gallery 1 & 2 at Attenborough Arts Centre from 5 June – 30 August, free for all. To learn more about the exhibition, click here.

Want to explore more now? As part of Bloomberg Connects app, we offer a unique way to explore our venue and galleries. This free digital guide offers opportunities to learn about our current and past exhibitions, our upcoming events, video content, maps of our centre and more. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected and find out more – either while you’re visiting in person, or virtually. To learn more, click here to visit our website.

Exhibition Accessibility:

• Our friendly team of volunteers and gallery invigilators can tell you more about the artworks and artists.
• Sound and light levels can be adjusted.
• Seating is available in all gallery spaces.
• Gallery interpretation is produced in large print as standard.
• A braille guide for the exhibition is also available from the gallery desk.
• Film and video artworks are subtitled, or where this is not possible a transcript will be available.
• Ear defenders are available from the gallery desk.
• A full guide to accessibility and facilities information across our spaces can be accessed by clicking here.

If you require an adjustment that isn’t mentioned please contact us ahead of your visit and we will try to meet your request within our capacity. Email at arts-centre@le.ac.uk or call 01162522455