BRITISH artist, Sarah Gillespie will present ‘Moth’ at Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, an ongoing project that, for the past two years, has seen her research, draw and engrave common English moths by way of highlighting their dramatic and devastating decline and celebrating their overwhelming importance.

Since 1914, it is believed that around 62 species of moths have become extinct in Britain alone.

The exhibition, which will run from May 29 to September 5, will feature all 22 of the resulting mezzotints as well as a new work, Gillespie’s largest mezzotint to date.

Measuring a monumental 2ft by 3ft, it features a Peppered Moth, and marks a stark change to a process that is normally measured in inches and not feet. Ms Gillespie will also live onsite in the grounds of Castle Howard as part of a month long artist’s residency where she will study its moth population and produce new works in response, including one created publicly during visiting hours.

Frequently considered a pest, moths are deeply unloved by most humans and grossly misunderstood and overlooked in favour of the more colourful daylight dwelling butterflies.

However, moths are more numerous and more varied. They are a major part of our biodiversity and hold vital roles in the wildlife ecosystem as pollinators, recyclers, and food for bats and beloved songbirds. Recently and highly topically, US based pharmaceutical company Novavax has used moth cells to create its coronavirus vaccine. Moths really do matter. From the silk road to ultra new vaccines life is truly tied up with moths.

Nicholas and Victoria Howard, owners of Castle Howard say of the exhibition: “We were first introduced to the work of Sarah Gillespie about eight years ago and quickly realised that she was one of the greatest landscape and nature artists of her generation. We are therefore delighted to be hosting her current exhibition, Moth, at Castle Howard and contributing, albeit in a small way, to raising awareness of both the beauty and ecological importance of these magical creatures.”

All event and booking information can be found at www.castlehoward.co.uk

Sarah Gillespie: Moth will be accompanied by a revised second edition of the previously sold out artist’s book of the series. The new hardback edition features three additional moth prints, an introduction by multi-award-winning author and naturalist Mark Cocker, alongside a specially gifted poem by Alice Oswald. It is available to buy, priced at £45.00, from Castle Howard’s Gift Shop and directly from Gillespie’s website - https://www.sarahgillespie.co.uk/editions/moth/