Beneath the glass-and-steel towers of London’s financial district lie secrets from the 1st to 3rd centuries. At London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, the twin artists Jane and Louise Wilson (b. 1967) present their site-specific installation Performance of Entrapment, offering a fresh perspective on the archaeological history of the site.
For more than twenty years, the Wilson sisters have been known for their collaborative practice exploring themes of memory, history, power and surveillance. Here, they draw inspiration from the 2,000-year-old oak piles, discovered along the ancient course of the River Walbrook that still flows beneath London’s modern streets, and once believed to have supported a Roman bridge. Using DNA sequencing and microscopic imagery of this timber, the artists have created large-scale, visually layered works.
Spiritual Links Between East and West
Performance of Entrapment investigates parallels between the Roman-era Temple of Mithras in London and the Ise Jingu shrine complex in Japan. These two geographically and culturally distant sacred sites reveal striking similarities in iconography and key relics: the head of Mithras in London, and the Sacred Mirror of the Emperor in Japan.
Through a film shot on the grounds of Ise Jingu, the Wilsons explore themes of sisterhood, duality and renewal. Collaborating with Ise Ondo, a traditional women’s folk-dance troupe whose lineage reaches back to the Edo period, they examine the re-enactment of tradition. The artists describe the experience as: “Being in two worlds at once, strange yet familiar, like looking at ourselves through a mirror.”
By weaving together film, archaeology and contemporary art, the exhibition offers a powerful meditation on ancient sacred spaces, memory and time.
Exhibition Details
Artists: Jane and Louise Wilson
Work: Performance of Entrapment
Venue: London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, London
Dates: On view until 10 January 2026
