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A detailed diorama of a hospital ward featuring miniature nurses and patients inside.

Free Jason and the Adventure of 254 in Leicester

Jason and the Adventure of 254 is now open at Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester, offering a free, long-running summer exhibition for visitors interested in art, disability, medicine and childhood memory.

The exhibition runs from Tuesday 9 June to Sunday 30 August at Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA. The source listing gives the time as 00:00 and marks entry as free, with booking available through the event listing.

This is a major solo exhibition by Jason Wilsher-Mills, presented by Wellcome Collection and Attenborough Arts Centre. It is aimed at the general public and is built around an immersive installation of sculptures, illustrations and interactive dioramas.

Dates, venue and cost for visitors

Detail Information
Event Jason and the Adventure of 254
Type Exhibition
Dates 9 June to 30 August 2026
Listed time 00:00
Venue Attenborough Arts Centre
Address University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA
Price Free
Booking Listed as Book now

The exhibition is in partnership with Wellcome Collection and is described by the organisers as Wilsher-Mills’ largest and most personal commission to date.

For Leicester audiences, the practical appeal is clear: it is free, it runs across much of the summer, and it is located at a well-known arts venue on the University of Leicester campus.

A hospital ward reimagined through colour and memory

Jason and the Adventure of 254 reimagines the gallery space as a hospital ward. The work draws on Wilsher-Mills’ experience of becoming disabled as a child, using that personal history as a route into wider questions about disability, medicine and the human body.

The installation brings together sculpture, illustration and interactive dioramas. Rather than presenting the subject in a clinical way, the exhibition uses colour, humour and magic realism to explore how bodies are seen, treated and understood.

The source material describes the exhibition as both joyful and subversive. That tension sits at the centre of the show: the work deals with medicine and disability, but also with family, childhood creativity, hospital education and the artist’s working-class background.

What visitors can expect inside the exhibition

The main draw is the immersive format. Visitors should expect a gallery environment shaped as an installation, rather than a traditional wall-by-wall display.

The confirmed elements include:

  • Sculptures by Jason Wilsher-Mills
  • Illustrations connected to the exhibition’s themes
  • Interactive dioramas
  • A gallery space reimagined as a hospital ward
  • Work exploring disability, medicine, the body and childhood memory

The exhibition is curated by Shamita Sharmacharja, Wellcome Collection Curator, and commissioned by Wellcome Collection.

The listing does not provide separate food, transport or accessibility notes. Visitors who need specific access information, travel guidance or facilities details should check directly with Attenborough Arts Centre before relying on the event listing.

Why this Leicester exhibition stands out

The exhibition’s subject is unusually personal for a public gallery show. Wilsher-Mills is not only using the body as an artistic theme; he is drawing directly from his own childhood experience of disability and hospital education.

That gives the work a local-event value beyond a standard summer exhibition listing. It offers families, students, artists and general visitors a way into conversations about how disability is represented, how medicine shapes childhood experience, and how creativity can emerge in institutional spaces.

The fact that the show is free also matters. A major commissioned exhibition running for nearly three months gives visitors more flexibility than a short-ticketed event, especially during the summer period when cultural plans often need to fit around work, school holidays and family schedules.

Booking and source information

Jason and the Adventure of 254 runs at Attenborough Arts Centre from 9 June to 30 August 2026. The venue address is University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA.

Entry is listed as free, and the source listing includes Book now options across the run. The event information is supplied through Visit Leicester Events, with the listing noting that details are subject to change and advising users to check with the venue or organiser before relying on published information.

Source: Visit Leicester Events

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Aisha Bennett

Aisha Bennett

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Aisha Bennett is a Buckinghamshire-focused local news editor covering decisions made by the county’s local authority, planning changes, transport, schools, housing and community services. She prioritises source checking, public documents and on-the-ground context, turning formal updates into clear reporting that helps residents understand what is changing, why it matters and where to find verified information

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