Living by the Rule: Contemporary Art meets the Medieval Monastery

This event celebrates the publication of Jessica Barker and Ed Krčma’s new book, Living by the Rule: Contemporary Art meets the Medieval Monastery (Lund Humphries, 2026), published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (May-Oct 2026).

Living by the Rule vividly stages an encounter between medieval and contemporary art with many unexpected resonances sounding between recent works and much earlier objects and texts. Taking as their focus the Rule of St Benedict, a book written in the sixth century which provided monks with a framework for communal living, Barker and Krčma invite readers to consider assumptions about contemporary life and how these beliefs might be unsettled by historical models, specifically medieval monastic life. Exploration of the rich material culture of religious communities of the Middle Ages throws up unexpected connections with contemporary art, and a reciprocity emerges, shifting our perspectives on both medieval and contemporary ways of life. This bold publication makes a compelling case for looking beyond the chronological tracing of art history.

This panel discussion, featuring Barker and Krčma in conversation with Dr Caroline Levitt, Professors Nancy Thebaut, Michael Newman, and the Turner prize-winning artist Elizabeth Price (tbc), will illuminate some of the book’s key themes.

The exhibition Living by the Rule: Contemporary meets Medieval is presented at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, between the 16 May – 4 October, 2026.

This event is organised as part of the as part of the Medieval Work-in-Progress Series. This series is generously supported by Sam Fogg.