Folkmoot by Anne Ryan at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE

London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE will present Folkmoot, a new site-specific commission by Anne Ryan, opening 16 July 2026.

Installed above the ancient Roman Temple of Mithras, and alongside the Roman artefacts discovered during the construction of Bloomberg’s European Headquarters, the commission will respond directly to this significant archaeological site. In a city shaped by destruction, regeneration and rediscovery, Anne Ryan will bring ancient and contemporary London into dialogue.

Folkmoot is an Old English word meaning ‘a gathering of people’. In Anglo-Saxon times Londoners were summoned to the Folkmoot by the ringing of the bells of St Paul’s three times a year. Inspired by the site’s layered history, the exhibition will unfold as an immersive landscape of sculpture, painting and frieze reflecting themes of ritual, exchange and transformation throughout the city, echoing the cult of Mithras, a religion associated with creation and renewal.

Since her residency at the British School of Rome in 2016, Ryan has developed a body of work shaped by slow, meandering walks through cities – observing architecture, street life and their inhabitants, while gathering stories and traces of the past. These observations inform her ‘sculptural islands’, freestanding structures made from ceramic, metal, plaster and bronze, animated by a distinctive, bright colour palette.

Sculptures will be presented throughout the space, across a series of structures, inviting visitors to move between them. Layers of history will be explored through images of weeds, flowers and wildlife emerging against fractured ground and rubble, recalling the Blitz and the city’s continual rebuilding over time. Animals and figures, both real and mythical, will move amongst glimpses of past and present architecture and archaeological fragments. A sequence of paintings and collage will expand this narrative, recalling London’s street-life from Roman occupation to the present day. These encounters will blend past and present, prompting reflection on how the city’s history remains embedded within its streets today.

Ryan says, “Open-ended walks, or ‘saunters’, allow the city to unfold in fragments and open up with possibilities: dreamscapes, fictional spaces, historical sites. While walking, the city becomes a living constellation: stories, memories and observations collide with imagined futures and long-buried pasts.”

Visitors can explore the exhibition’s origins through a series of maps and a programme of walks developed in collaboration with artist Kathy Prendergast, as well as the digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Bloomberg Connects provides free digital guides to over 1,500 museums, galleries, gardens, public art, festivals, historic sites, and other cultural spaces, making it easy to access and engage with arts and culture from mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. Visit the guide here or download the app on the Apple Store or Google Play today.

About the Artist

Anne Ryan is an artist known for her “cutouts” – three dimensional works made from card, collage, canvas, ceramic and metal. These cutouts are exercises in perceptual permutation in which motifs and iconography from music, cinema, classical painting, ancient murals, and mythology all collide in dreamlike chaos.

Ryan studied at Limerick School of Art and Birmingham University and was Abbey Fellow in Painting at the British School at Rome in 2016. She now lives and works in London. Ryan has exhibited internationally, including presentations at Turner Contemporary, Margate (2021), Hastings Contemporary (2020), Ribot Gallery, Milan (2019), and the Royal Academy of Arts, London (2013). Group exhibitions include Poor Things (Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, 2023) and Entr’acte (Moly Sabata, Sablons France, 2025). Recent solo exhibitions include Tugann an Torann (Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, greengrassi, London, 2024) and Fighting on the Dance Floor (Exeter Phoenix, 2022).

About London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE

Situated on the site of Bloomberg’s European headquarters, London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE returns the Roman Temple of Mithras to the location of its discovery in the heart of the City of London. The space offers an immersive experience of the ancient temple, alongside a display of Roman artefacts uncovered during excavation. The Bloomberg SPACE gallery hosts contemporary art commissions by leading international artists, offering new perspectives on the site’s layered history.

London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE is free to visit and open to the public: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Sundays and Bank Holidays from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Pre-booking is advised through www.londonmithraeum.com.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg is a global leader in business and financial information, delivering trusted data, news, and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to markets. The company helps connect influential communities across the global financial ecosystem via reliable technology solutions that enable our customers to make more informed decisions and foster better collaboration. For more information, visit www.bloomberg.com/company.

Press Information

Lauren Hare, Rees & Co., +44 (0)7904 803 371 lauren@reesandco.com

Oisin O’Malley, Bloomberg L.P., +44 (0)20 3525 4958 oomalley2@bloomberg.net