40 Years of the Future at Castlefield Gallery

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

Visit now

40 Years of the Future

Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield
20 March 2024-30 March 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

A dynamic painting of colourful shapes arranged to form a cross
Hoyland Studio Ltd
Book now

This year, Manchester’s beloved artist-led gallery is turning 40! To mark the occasion and look forward to the future with hopeful eyes, Castlefield Gallery has unveiled 40 Years of the Future – a year-long programme of exhibitions, public events, performances, screenings, creative community activities and artist development programmes gathering talent from Manchester and beyond.  Having opened its doors in 1984, the gallery’s ambitious programme is a celebration of the local art scene then and now.

Six plastic sculptures of silver hands lined up on a shelf
Jeffrey Knopf

The exhibitions include 40 Years of the Future: Painting which will combine work by artists from the gallery’s inaugural programme alongside four emerging painters in the North West. 40 Years of the Future: Where Should We Be Now? will present work by artists Jeffrey Knopf, Theo Simpson and Hope Strickland – a sculptor, a photographer and artist-filmmaker. 40 Years of the Future: Jo McGonigal x Frank Bowling will gather the work of two painters, both of whom are inspired by sculpture. The programme will finish with 40 Years of the Future: Castlefield Gallery Associates, displays of work by participants from the artist development programme.

The schedule of events will be as exciting as the occasion it’s celebrating – check back here soon for more details on each exhibition and accompanying events.

What's on at Castlefield Gallery

Where to go near 40 Years of the Future at Castlefield Gallery

Deansgate
Music venue
Rebellion

Live music and 4am club night venue Rebellion provides a rock heavy alternative with smatterings of bass, across from Deansgate Locks.

Castlefield
Restaurant
The Deansgate

The Deansgate is located in the heart of Manchester. A traditional pub with homemade food and real ales, this is truly one of the greatest watering holes in Manchester.

Deansgate
Restaurant
Podium

Podium delivers high-end, seasonal dishes, largely geared around produce and ideas from the British Isles, but with a few deft twists and turns.

Deansgate
Bar or Pub
Cloud 23

Manchester’s Cloud 23, the cocktail bar siting proud on the 23rd floor of the Beetham Tower, boasts unparalleled views across the city

Castlefield
Bar or Pub
Atlas Bar

Situated in the railway arches of Deansgate, Atlas is an elegant, quality bar specialising in nearly 600 gins from around the world.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Life Centre North
City Centre
Event venue
The Life Centre North

The Life Centre, just off Deansgate in Manchester, is a place which offers yoga and Pilates classes for people of all abilities. 

What's on: Visual Arts

Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Manchester Open 2026 at HOME

Four editions in, the Manchester Open has become both a biennial survey of the region’s creative output and a genuine leveller for artistic talent.

Free entry
Encounter Festival 2026
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.