Living by the Rule: Contemporary Art Meets the Medieval Monastery

Why It Matters

By exposing the parallels between monastic discipline and today’s productivity culture, the project challenges prevailing self‑help narratives and offers a critical lens for artists, scholars, and policymakers on the social costs of hyper‑individualized routines.

Key Takeaways

• The exhibition links Benedictine monastic rules to modern self‑optimization trends.
• It critiques both romanticized medieval nostalgia and simplistic continuity narratives.
• Contemporary artists and medieval monastic art reveal parallel autonomy‑dependence tensions.
• Case studies span Canterbury, Norwich, and Ely, showing rule‑breaking practices.
• Organizers stress lived experience over idealized monastic ideals.

Summary

The event "Living by the Rule" brings together scholars and artists to examine how contemporary life‑optimization movements intersect with the medieval Rule of St. Benedict. Curators Jessica Barker and Ed Kchma present a book and exhibition that juxtapose modern wellness literature—such as "Atomic Habits" and the controversial "Benedict Option"—with the detailed, communal prescriptions of 6th‑century monasticism. Key insights include a critique of the current fascination with rigid routines, questioning whether obedience to AI planners mirrors monastic obedience to an abbot. The presenters highlight generational shifts: past rebellions against public authority now give way to concerns over political lawlessness and the erosion of shared norms. By focusing on specific monastic communities—Canterbury, Norwich, and Ely—the project uncovers how rules were historically bent, offering a nuanced view of rule‑breaking as creative negotiation rather than mere transgression. Quotes from Barker emphasize that the Benedictine rule is both "alien" and "attractive" in a culture of individual autonomy, while Kchma notes the exhibition’s refusal to idealize medieval life or force a linear artistic lineage. The curators instead invoke Giorgio Agamben’s "form of life" concept, treating daily practices as artistic processes that shape meaning. The implication for audiences is a reframed understanding of contemporary self‑discipline: rather than seeking a perfect routine, the project invites reflection on communal responsibility, the limits of personal optimization, and the enduring relevance of historical rule structures in shaping modern artistic and social life.

Original Description

This event celebrates the publication of Jessica Barker and Ed Krčma’s new book, Living by the Rule: Contemporary Art meets the Medieval Monastery (Lund Humphries, 2026), published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (May-Oct 2026).

Living by the Rule vividly stages an encounter between medieval and contemporary art with many unexpected resonances sounding between recent works and much earlier objects and texts. Taking as their focus the Rule of St Benedict, a book written in the sixth century which provided monks with a framework for communal living, Barker and Krčma explore the rich material culture of religious communities of the Middle Ages. This throws up unexpected connections with contemporary art, and a reciprocity emerges, shifting our perspectives on both medieval and contemporary ways of life. Can anachronism release us from the deadening familiarity of the present, and open up new ways of thinking about the future? This bold publication makes a compelling case for looking beyond the chronological tracing of art history.

This panel discussion, featuring Barker and Krčma in conversation with Dr Caroline Levitt, Professors Nancy Thebaut, and Michael Newman, who will illuminate some of the book’s key themes.

The exhibition Living by the Rule: Contemporary meets Medieval is presented at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, between the 16 May – 4 October, 2026.

This event is organised as part of the as part of the Medieval Work-in-Progress Series. The series is generously supported by Sam Fogg. This publication was generously supported by the Wyvern Research Institute.

Speakers:

Jessica Barker, Senior Lecture in Medieval Art, Courtauld.

Ed Krčma, Associate Professor of Art History, University of East Anglia.

Caroline Levitt, Senior Lecturer in Art History, Courtauld.

Michael Newman, Professor of Art Writing, Goldsmiths.

Nancy Thebaut, Associate Professor in the History of Art, University of Oxford.