Glasgow-based contemporary artist Nathan Coley's work examines ideas of faith in our society through a range of media. This May, for the first time, his work will be on display in Norwich as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

The exhibition at East Gallery and St Laurence’s church will present two major works by Nathan Coley Unnamed, 2012 and Palace, 2015. Palace is one of Coley’s iconic light works, and consists of five brilliantly lit words - life, belief, mind, wealth and land - the five desirable attributes in Islam. How these words are understood both in and out of context, by people of different faiths, has long been a fascination to Coley and he has made several versions of this piece in varying materials.

Unnamed on the other hand groups together appropriated memorial slabs and imbues these with collective meaning by removing all personal information. The piece brings to mind public space and personal tragedy, shared and solitary experience.

These two works will give audiences the opportunity to experience Coley’s work in both sacred and secular spaces and consider the meeting of contemporary and ancient belief systems in the medieval heart of Norwich.

An exciting events programme will accompany the exhibition, including workshops for schools, evening events providing the chance to experience the light works at dusk, and an artist talk on Tuesday 15 May.

Coley’s work is in collections in the UK and abroad and he has received a number of major commissions for institutions and events worldwide. He was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2007 and is currently working on a major commission for the cathedral of Lund in Sweden.