For the first time together, The Bowes Museum hosts Nathan Coley’s works, You Create What You Will (2014) and Tate Modern on Fire (2017.) Known for his thought-provoking public works, Coley explores how belief systems shape our cities, institutions and identities. Gaze up to the 5 and half metre illuminated text installation which invites viewers to question the profound power of creation and draw parallels between the installation and the museum’s founders’ mission of supporting and uplifting artists. Explore a version Tate Modern in which flames emerge from the museum’s boiler house, while from the open back, elements associated with the museum are displayed, such as a cabinet of curiosities.  Learn about the references behind the artworks, think about the roles of museums in society and reflect on your relationship with art. 

About Nathan Coley 

Nathan Coley’s artistic practice interrogates public spaces and questions how systems of personal, social, religious and political belief structure our towns and cities, and thereby ourselves. He spans a diverse range of media, including sculpture, installation, photography and video. Coley’s works often involve large-scale, immersive installations that transform spaces and invite interaction. 

Coley was nominated for the Turner prize in 2007 and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. Highlights include Tate Modern on Fire exhibited at the Parafin Gallery in 2017 and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2017, as well as You Create What You Will displayed at the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale in 2024 and Roche Court Sculpture Park in 2015.