Sara Jaspan

Step inside the former underground prison cells and original courtroom of the Grade I listed St George’s Hall, where Liverpool Biennial 2018 presents a body of works dealing with issues of power, authority and social justice.

Sending great ripples of excitement across the world of contemporary art and cinema alike, 3 Movements by the legendary French New Wave filmmaker and visionary Agnès Varda looks set to be one of the absolute highlights of this year’s Liverpool Biennial.

Beautiful world, where are you? at Tate Liverpool presents work by a group of artists predominantly originating from America, Australia and Canada, dealing with issues of indigenous identity and the often-violent legacies of colonialism.

LAST CHANCE. Do you prefer to hold a Kindle in your hands or a book? ‘BiblioTECH: From bookshelf to big data’ at The Portico Library uses art to examine the opportunities and challenges that arise when we adapt to new technological formats for storing and sharing information.

It will have escaped few people’s attention that the UK is currently in the grip of an unprecedented housing crisis. Against this backdrop, A Romance for the Near Future – S1 Artspace’s inaugural exhibition at its new Park Hill premises – couldn’t be more perfectly, nor boldly conceived.

Though water covers 70% of our planet and sea levels are rising, access to clean, fresh supplies is becoming a growing problem around the world. Aquatopia forms the first of a season of new exhibitions and debates at CFCCA designed to encourage discussion around some of the biggest environmental issues facing the world today.

A heady mix of science fiction, anthropology, and feminist and queer theory featuring a Neanderthal and ‘Woman on the Edge of Time’ – Semiramis by Tai Shani at The Tetley is a powerful, multi-layered experience that will leave you disorientated and invigorated in equal measure.

Gain a deeper understanding of the ‘refugee experience’ both in Manchester and beyond and celebrate their contribution to the UK with HOME’s inaugural Refugee Week Festival, featuring art, film, theatre, live music, dance and more.

The result of a five-year collaboration between father and son, Natural Selection by contemporary artist Andy Holden and ornithologist Peter Holden offers visitors to Leeds Art Gallery a fascinating journey through the lives of birds.

Art Against War at Millennium Gallery in Sheffield draws together over 100 artworks by one of Britain’s leading political artists, Peter Kennard – best known for his darkly satirical depiction of Tony Blair taking a selfie in front of an oilfield explosion in Iraq.

LAST CHANCE. ‘Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong’ at HOME brings together three politically charged works by the Turner-Prize nominated artist Phil Collins who returned Engels to Manchester in 2017. Free entry

Catch a glimpse of the creative face of tomorrow with the work of five up-and-coming young makers, currently on show at Manchester Craft & Design Centre as part of Materialise.