A rural art venue on the England–Wales border has reopened for its 2026 season with two new exhibitions exploring everything from Ancient Greek mythology to forgotten photocopy experiments by Sir Sidney Nolan.

The Rodd, between Kington and Presteigne, has launched its spring programme across its historic Jacobean manor house, farm buildings and gallery spaces, continuing a tradition of hosting artists that stretches back more than a century.

Run by the Sidney Nolan Trust, the site is set within 180 acres of farmland and woodland and includes Nolan’s former home, studio, and archive. The Trust was founded in 1985 by the Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan and his wife Lady Mary Nolan, and continues to care for a large collection of his work alongside environmental and community projects on the estate.

This season’s programme opens with two contrasting exhibitions: Another Step Towards Troy and Tending to Nowhere.

Another Step Towards Troy runs until June 28 and focuses on Sidney Nolan’s time on the Greek island of Hydra in 1955, a period that marked a turning point in his work.

Hydra at the time was a meeting point for writers and artists, and it was there Nolan began a sustained engagement with Ancient Greek myth. He later described the island’s landscape as “the most Australian-like landscape in Europe”.

The exhibition brings together Nolan’s work with pieces by Presteigne-based contemporary painter Daniel MacCarthy, alongside archival material from the Trust’s collection. It explores how Nolan’s experience on Hydra fed into his later interpretations of mythological subjects, including the Trojan War cycle that informed his ANZAC paintings.

Running alongside it until July 5, Tending to Nowhere takes a different starting point: a set of photocopy works made by Nolan in 1986–87, rediscovered in a drawer at Rodd Court.

The works, created using everyday copying technology, are described by the Trust as showing a lesser-known aspect of Nolan’s practice and reveal a playful side to the artist.

The exhibition has been developed in collaboration with The Copy Collective and features new work by contemporary artists responding to Nolan’s photocopy sequences. Using installation, sound, digital media and live elements, the contributors explore themes of memory, loss and the shifting status of the image in a digital age.

Antony Mottershead, Curator and Creative Producer at the Sidney Nolan Trust, said: “It’s a pleasure to invite visitors back to The Rodd for another exciting season of exhibitions, events and workshops. This year’s programme brings together historic and contemporary perspectives - from Nolan’s deep engagement with classical mythology to artists pushing the boundaries of everyday technologies. Together, they reflect The Rodd’s ongoing commitment to creativity, experimentation and place.”

The Rodd is open Wednesday to Sunday until October 4, from 11am to 4pm.