Cabinet of Curiosities

Nottingham Contemporary commissioned the artist Pablo Bronstein to create a 21st century take on a “cabinet of curiosities” or wunderkammer – the root of the modern museum.

Four ornate cabinets, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, have been given their own space off The Study, designed by Bronstein and our architects Caruso St John. These intricate places of discovery reflect Bronstein’s interest in Baroque and Neo-Classical architecture. They also have an affinity with contemporary art’s concern with collecting and display.

The contents of each cabinet will form minature exhibitions, curated by artists, writers and cultural commentators. The current Small Collections have been curated by artists Matthew Brannon and Anthea Hamilton, poet and cultural commentator Wayne Koestenbaum, while one comes courtesy of Nottingham’s Natural History Museum at Wollaton Hall. The first four of these ‘micro’ exhibitions will run for six months.