The Sidney Nolan Trust has reopened The Rodd for its 2025 season, with two powerful new exhibitions now welcoming visitors.

Just outside Presteigne, The Rodd is a rural centre for the arts based in the former home of Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan (1917–1992). Set in the beautiful 17th-century Rodd Court and surrounded by gardens and countryside, the venue offers visitors a unique blend of arts, heritage and nature.

This season’s programme launched earlier this month with Nolan’s Africa and Utility to Futility — two exhibitions exploring themes of conflict, extinction and the value of everyday objects. For the first time, visitors can also purchase an annual season ticket, allowing unlimited visits and access to upcoming exhibitions later in the year.

Nolan’s Africa, on show until June 28, presents work inspired by the artist’s 1962 travels across Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. From encounters with tribal communities to the wildlife of the Serengeti, Nolan’s journey shaped a body of work that connects Africa’s political and environmental struggles with his experience of visiting Auschwitz. The result is a reflection on themes of conflict, animal extinction and the impact of colonialism.

“These paintings were once famous but are now largely forgotten,” said Antony Mottershead, Curator and Creative Producer at the Sidney Nolan Trust.

“The exhibition places viewers at the heart of mid-century British painting and Nolan’s exploration of themes including conflict, animal extinction and the impacts of colonialism.”

Running alongside it, Utility to Futility (until July 5) marks the Trust’s first major exhibition of contemporary craft. Glass artists Sacha Delabre and Axelle Mary have teamed up with furniture maker Bim Burton and artist-metalworker Izzi Lombardo to create site-specific pieces that play with function, material, and meaning — all displayed within the domestic setting of Nolan’s former home.

Please visit www.sidneynolantrust.org for full details.