The Shelter of Stories: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling

The Shelter of Stories: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling opened to the public at Compton Verney on October 25 2025. The exhibition is on show until 22 February 2026.

This exhibition, curated by writer Marina Warner with Oli McCall and Roger Malbert and designed by Simon Costin, explores the art of storytelling. It examines its close relationship with the sense of home and belonging, as well as its vital role in times of upheaval and displacement.

Bringing together historic objects and images, alongside works by leading contemporary artists, the exhibition introduces visitors to a different approach to storytelling, and asks, through a range of artefacts in different media, why do we tell stories and what do they achieve?

The Shelter of Stories unfolds in distinct sections, with each one focusing on a different aspect of storytelling.

The first transports visitors to the sites where storytelling has traditionally taken place, from tales told by the hearth side and the campfire to puppet shows in the bustling city street. Works by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh (b.1962) and Lebanese artist Mounira al Solh (b.1978) embody the title of the show, highlighting how stories can provide shelter, where fears can be faced, difficult subjects addressed, knowledge passed on, and hope kindled. An array of objects including puppets, masks, dioramas, instruments, and board games display creative methods that storytellers around the globe have used to breathe life into their subjects and reveal some of the many ways stories travel and enter our consciousness.

Subsequent rooms look at the functions that stories fulfil, socially and personally. These include confronting and overcoming dangers and monsters, imagining and entering other wo rlds, sharing wisdom and knowledge, coexisting with animals and natural phenomena, and building collective solidarity and hope in times of difficulty.

The role of story-making, in terms of fostering a feeling of belonging, forms the central theme of the show. Envisaged as a space for communion and creative expression, the exhibition considers the importance of building culture together, between locals and incomers, nationals and strangers.

A catalogue with essays, poetry and selected works from the exhibition available to buy here. The book was designed by Marwan Kaabour. The book contains works by Abdelfattah Kilito, David Herd, Denise Riley, Emily LaBarge, Marina Warner, Oli McCall and Roger Malbert.

Press
17 October 2025 Financial Times, 'Can stories help us face our worst fears?', Marina Warner
Read here

23 October 2025
The Guardian, 'That’s all folk: Marina Warner, the curator and mythographer creating a space for stories', Skye Sherwin
Read here