Sara Jaspan

Inspired by Conrad Gessner’s 16th century encyclopaedia of actual and imaginary animals, Beautiful Monsters at The Portico examines the idea of the monstrous within the context of history, mythology and 21st century life.

Part of Leeds International Festival 2018, Digital Natives is a unique exploration into the way in which indigenous communities in north east Brazil have been using digital technology to fight prejudice, lobby for rights, increase cultural visibility and provide a means of creative expression.

With a mouthful of a title, Castlefield Gallery’s upcoming exhibition – Oh, it is easy to be clever if one does not know all these questions – initiates a conversation between early career artists in Manchester and Prague.

Take a precarious seat in a giant hammock-cum-social-network, surrounded by rattles; or cool your rattled temperament with a medicinal brew at OPAVIVARÁ!: Utupya, Tate Liverpool.

LAST CHANCE. If cold, clinical, ‘do not touch’ type exhibitions are not your thing, then Material Environments at The Tetley is for you.

Helen Sharman CMG OBE shares her experiences of being the first Briton to travel into space, aged 27, and Bas Lansdorp sets out Mars Ones’ plans to settle the first human colony on Mars in 2032. Part of ‘Astronaut wanted, no experience necessary’ at Leeds International Festival 2018.

The practical act of DIY, hands-on making is full of benefits, and rapidly becoming a growing trend. Head to the National Festival of Making in Blackburn to unlock your hidden talents and discover your untapped creative potential.

Following the national furore that emerged in response to the temporary removal of John William Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs at Manchester Art Gallery, all eyes are now on Sonia Boyce’s first retrospective exhibition, opening just a floor away.

Since 1989, photographer Stuart Roy Clarke has been on a mission of epic proportions. Its goal: to capture the very heart, soul, sweat and tears of British football.

Award-winning artist Louis Henderson presents a new film co-commission and solo exhibition at HOME, which responds to the endlessly complex trails of Haitian history.

Create your own art using techniques and materials inspired by the Alchemy of Colour exhibition at The John Rylands Library.

A giant, fluorescent pink and orange striped inflatable, a shoal of Ice Age fish, and a VR encounter with the depths of the earth; six contemporary artists explore the less commonly-observed wonders of the Lake District.