Resurrecting Ancient Egypt Touring Exhibition From Barnsley Museums Comes to Scarborough Art Gallery

Resurrecting Ancient Egypt: A Monumental Yorkshire Journey (Saturday 5 November 2022 to Saturday 18 March 2023) is a touring exhibition from Barnsley Museums, and has been designed and curated by Scarborough-based Egyptologist Professor Joann Fletcher, and commissioned from Jennifer Robertson LRPS and Lynne Fletcher, who work collaboratively as Kyte Photography.

It was originally part of a trio of exhibitions at Barnsley Museums in 2017 exploring Egypt in Yorkshire. Scarborough is the very first venue to host the tour which now forms part of TUT'22: The Life of Tutankhamun exhibition at Experience Barnsley, celebrating the life of the boy king whose tomb was discovered on 4 November 1922

The exhibition features images of landmark buildings from across the county, including the pyramids of SEA LIFE Scarborough, and the obelisk that is the town's war memorial on Oliver's Mount.

A photographic tour of the Egyptian-style architecture found throughout Yorkshire, it reflects the West's enduring fascination with Egypt's ancient monuments, long regarded as the ultimate symbols of immortality, and copied and constructed for centuries right across Europe, and certainly around Yorkshire.

The use of black and white photography captures the gothic atmosphere of Victorian England, whose black colour of mourning was actually the ancient Egyptian colour of life and resurrection, while subtle touches of gold reflect the life-bringing powers of the sun as Egypt's ultimate deity.

Professor Joann Fletcher, who is the incoming chair of the board at Scarborough Museums and Galleries, says: ""It really is incredible to think that Yorkshire has more pyramids than any other part of England, has the oldest obelisk erected in Britain, and the only full-sized replica of an Egyptian temple in the country. And while some of these Egyptian-style structures were created to reflect the status of Yorkshire's wealthiest families, others were built as memorials to a wide range of Yorkshire men, women and children, with some built purely as places for enjoyment. This exhibition really does bring together some diverse ideas within our 'ancient Egypt in Yorkshire' theme."

Jennifer Robertson and Lynne Fletcher say: "We were delighted and honoured to be asked by Professor Joann Fletcher and Barnsley Council to part of this amazing and unique photographic journey - to resurrect Ancient Egypt in Yorkshire. It absolutely amazed us how much influence from Ancient Egypt was on our doorstep. We would literally be walking down a country path, turn a corner and there would be a huge pyramid or a giant obelisk staring back at us."

Scarborough Art Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Monday (plus Bank Holidays). Entrance is free with a £3 annual pass, which also allows unlimited free entry to the Rotunda Museum.