Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Bringing together the iconic, darkly satirical images of one of Britain’s leading political artists (responsible for the infamous photomontage of Tony Blair taking a selfie in front of an oilfield explosion in Iraq), Art Against War: Peter Kennard at Millennium Gallery in Sheffield is high among our pick of exhibition highlights this month. That and the equally incisive political commentary of Phil Collins, whose work takes centre stage once again at HOME this summer following the ‘homecoming celebration’ that the Turner-nominee artist orchestrated for Fredrich Engels on the closing night of MIF 2017, almost exactly one year ago.
Combining a heady mix of science fiction, anthropology, and feminist and queer theory, we’re also extremely excited to catch Tai Shani’s mesmerising and immersive installation – Semiramis – at The Tetley in Leeds, arriving fresh from Glasgow International Festival 2018 where it met with widespread acclaim. Combine this with a visit to Leeds Art Gallery where contemporary artist Andy Holden and his ornithologist father Peter Holden (once affectionately known to many as ‘the bird man’ on Blue Peter) will lead you on a fascinating journey through the secret lives of birds and the darker side of collecting. Then, continuing with the nature theme, head over to the nearby Yorkshire Sculpture Park where Etsy-celeb, Mister Finch, brings a touch of the surreal to the woodland realm.
Finally, don’t miss Materialise at Manchester Craft & Design Centre featuring an inspiring body of new work by five talented young designers carving out the creative face of tomorrow; chisel, needle and wet lumps of clay in hand.
Here are our picks
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1. Tai Shani: Semiramis at The Tetley, Leeds
Commissioned by Glasgow International 2018 and The Tetley. Image Keith Hunter Tai Shani: Semiramis at The Tetley, 20 July–14 October 2018, free entry - Find Out More
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.
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2. Phil Collins: Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong at HOME
Phil Collins: Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 7 July–16 September 2018, free entry - Find Out More
‘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.
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3. Andy Holden & Peter Holden: Natural Selection at Leeds Art Gallery
Andy Holden and Peter Holden, Natural Selection, 2017. An Artangel commission. Photograph: Jazbo Gross. Andy Holden & Peter Holden: Natural Selection at Leeds Art Gallery, 8 June–2 September 2018, free entry - Visit now
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.
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4. Art Against War: Peter Kennard and the CND Movement at Millennium Galleries, Sheffield
Peter Kennard, Disarm Now! 1995-2018. Image © Peter Kennard Art Against War: Peter Kennard and the CND Movement at Millennium Gallery, City Centre, 9 June–7 October 2018, free entry - Visit now
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 darkly satirical depiction of Tony Blair taking a selfie in front of an oilfield explosion in Iraq.
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5. Materialise: A Showcase of Five Young Makers at Manchester Craft & Design Centre
Jessie Roberts Materialise: A Showcase of Five Young Makers at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, Manchester, 24 May–1 September 2018, free entry - Visit now
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.
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6. Mister Finch: The Wish Post at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Mr Finch: The Wish Post at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 23 June–23 September 2018, free entry - Visit now
Don’t worry, you haven’t OD’ed on contemporary art. The dapperly dressed mole and skittish prickle of hedgehogs playing brass bells are part of YSP’s new exhibition; The Wishing Post by Etsy-celeb, Mister Finch.
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7. Magnus Quaife: While England Mourns at Touchstones Rochdale
Image: John Collier (Tim Bobbin), Portrait of Tim Bobbin. Photo: Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service Magnus Quaife: While England Mourns at Touchstones Rochdale, Manchester, 4 May–30 June 2018, free entry - Visit now
While England Mourns by Manchester-based artists Magnus Quaife at Touchstones Rochdale connects protests on the streets of 18th century Manchester with the historic May ’68 Paris uprisings.
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8. A Dutch Golden Age: Painters, Places and People in the 17th Century at Cannon Hall Museum Park & Gardens
Courtesy of Barnsley Museums A Dutch Golden Age: Painters, Places and People in the 17th Century at Cannon Hall Museum Park & Gardens, Barnsley, 16 June–16 September 2018, free entry - Visit now
Capturing a unique period of intense creativity that fundamentally shaped the course of western art history, it’s fair to say that we’re more than a tad excited for the opening of ‘A Dutch Golden Age: Painters, Places and People in the 17th Century’ at Cannon Hall in Barnsley.
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9. Beautiful Monsters at The Portico Library
The Portico Libary Beautiful Monsters at The Portico Library, Chinatown, 17 May–30 June 2018, free entry - Visit now
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.
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10. Giuseppe Penone at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Giuseppe Penone at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 26 May 2018–28 April 2019, free entry - Visit now
Grounded in a more poetic, ‘geological’ sense of time, the eminent Italian sculptor Giuseppe Penone stands apart from the everyday concerns of the modern world.
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11. Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
Tŷ Pawb -
12. Oh, it is easy to be clever if one does not know all these questions at Castlefield Gallery
David Fesl. Image courtesy of Castlefield Gallery Oh, it is easy to be clever if one does not know all these questions at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, 17 May–1 July 2018, free entry - Visit now
With a mouthful of a title, Castlefield Gallery’s 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.
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13. Viviane Sassen: Hot Mirror at The Hepworth Wakefield
©Viviane Sassen, Ra, series Mud and Lotus 2017. Courtesy of Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa. Viviane Sassen: Hot Mirror at The Hepworth Wakefield Viviane Sassen: Hot Mirror at The Hepworth Wakefield, 22 June–7 October 2018, free entry - Visit now
Renowned fashion photographer and contemporary visual artist, Viviane Sassen’s upcoming exhibition Hot Mirror at the Hepworth promises to be one of the absolute highlights of this year’s cultural calendar.
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14. Material Environments at The Tetley, Leeds
Harold Offeh, Covers Arabesque After Grace Jones Island Life, still from Video, 2017. Courtesy of The Tetley and the artist Material Environments at The Tetley, 4 May–8 July 2018, free entry - Visit now
If cold, clinical, ‘do not touch’ type exhibitions are not your thing, then Material Environments at The Tetley is for you.
More in Exhibitions
Women Behind the Football Lens at National Football Museum
Stuart Roy Clarke, as part of his exhibition ‘The Game’, is putting some of his favourite female photographers at the heart of the show for the summer months.
FDN X KNOT COLLECTIVE at Foundation Coffee House
Foundation Coffee House presents a display of hand-woven art rugs by The Knott Collective.
PRINT UnLtd. at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
A pop-up exhibition of works celebrating, challenging and questioning printmaking, catch PRINT UnLtd. at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
BLANK LIONS at Bankley Gallery
Bankley Gallery in Levenshulme presents BLANK LIONS; a groups exhibition featuring four UK-based artists working in sculpture and painting. Interested in the ‘Un’ within ‘Un-knowing’, the works play with a reversal of known processes and the undoing of learned knowledge, questioning clarity and the pre-meditated.
Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Explore the work of four of the most celebrated figures in art photography – Lewis Carroll, Julia Margaret Cameron, Oscar Rejlander, and Clementina Hawarden – with a major new exhibition, ‘Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography’, coming to Millennium Gallery, Sheffield.
A Great Enchanted Garden: Can AI Give Us Back Our Sense of Wonder? – Ryan Avent at LJMU Exhibition Research Lab
With cars that drive themselves and robots that walk among us, it is easy to imagine how AI could all turn out to be ugly and dystopian, but ‘A Great Enchanted Garden: Can AI Give Us Back Our Sense of Wonder?’ by Ryan Avent will suggest that there are perhaps ways to make it beautiful and affirming too.
The Fabric of the Planetary Surface – Jussi Parikka at LJMU Exhibition Research Lab
‘The Fabric of the Planetary Surface’ by Jussi Parikka at LJMU Exhibition Research Lab will address those planetary infrastructures that deliver beautiful things – namely, the factories, production facilities, routes, networks and logistics that make up the fashion industry.
Climate Grief and the Visible Horizon – Meehan Crist at LJMU Exhibition Research Lab
‘Climate Grief and the Visible Horizon’ is a talk by Meehan Crist that will first explore how traditional notions of grief have become obsolete in the age of anthropogenic climate change, then try to imagine new ways to live with loss in our rapidly changing world.
Reclaiming Beauty as a Public Good – Angela Nagle at LJMU Exhibition Research Lab
Starting with conflicting approaches to beauty, from Roger Scruton to Susan Sontag, ‘Reclaiming Beauty as a Public Good’ by Angela Nagle will explore why beauty remains such a controversial aesthetic ideal.
Culture Guides
Literature
Despite the traditional summer break, there’s still plenty of poetry and prose to catch, book and magazine launches, birthday parties, and even an exhibition dedicated to libraries. And if you don’t like sitting still for too long, there’s even a literature trail or two to check out…
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