Exhibitions in Manchester and the North

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

The world of exhibitions is brimming with new energy this spring, with wonderfully varied offerings across the North.

In Liverpool, FACT opens On the other side, a show about the systems of power and authority with a focus on collaboration with individuals who have experience of the justice system.

In Yorkshire, Thackray Museum of Medicine presents a fascinating display of Bio Art from leading artist Anna Dumitriu. Expect textiles with herbs, necklaces with teeth and a whole lot of microbes. In Yorkshire Sculpture Park, you’ll find Yukihiro Akama’s gorgeous wooden sculptures of miniature houses. Taking a different approach to the idea of home and the environment we exist in and navigate is Found Cities, Lost Objects at Leeds Art Gallery, a travelling group exhibition curated by Lubaina Himid.

In Manchester, Castlefield Gallery opens its 40th anniversary programme with the group show ‘40 Years of the Future: Painting, a compact survey of various styles and techniques in the field over the last four decades.

Our top picks

On the other side at FACT

On the other side at FACT, Liverpool, Until 2 June 2024, free entry - Visit now

Take a closer look at the structures of power, authority and control that govern our realities and lead us to conform to specific norms, through the work of three artists: Pilvi Takala, Melanie Crean and Katrina Palmer.

An image captured from overhead of two men embracing. One is seated, and the other is kneeling.
Melanie Crean, A Machine to Unmake You (M2UY) (2019-2024). Film still. Courtesy of the artist.

Fragile Microbiomes at Thackray Museum of Medicine

Fragile Microbiomes at Thackray Museum of Medicine, Leeds, Until 23 June 2024, from £8.95 - Book now

Bio artist Anna Dumitriu facilitates an unlikely collaboration – in ‘Fragile Microbiomes’ bacteria work with textiles and other materials to create fascinating multi-layered artefacts.

The Plague Dress - Fragile Microbiomes - Thackray Museum of Medicine
Jo Ritchie (Chapter 81)

Yukihiro Akama: Basho no Kankaku – A Sense of Place 場所の感覚 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yukihiro Akama: Basho no Kankaku – A Sense of Place 場所の感覚 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire, Until 30 June 2024, free entry - Visit now

Feel right at home at YSP’s new show by Yukihiro Akama, an artist entirely dedicated to his craft of woodcarving beautiful, gem-like miniature houses.

A selection of small carved wooden houses
Photo: Red Photography, courtesy YSP.

Found Cities, Lost Objects at Leeds Art Gallery

Found Cities, Lost Objects at Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, Until 21 April 2024, free entry - Visit now

Delve into the politics of urban living in Leeds Art Gallery’s current temporary exhibition. The show explores the way space is navigated and negotiated from the perspective of women and non-binary residents.

An artwork featuring many rectangular mirrors with coloured frames. In the mirrors are the fractured reflections of a young woman with dark hair, in the act of taking a photograph of two other unidentifiable young women in a street.
Hannah Starkey, Mirror – Untitled, September 2015, 2015. Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London. © the artist

40 Years of the Future: Painting at Castlefield Gallery

40 Years of the Future: Painting at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, 24 March–23 June 2024, free entry - Find Out More

The first part of Castlefield Gallery’s anniversary celebrations is all about painting as previously shown artists come back to the space to show work alongside emerging local painters.

An abstract painting with white and colourful marks on a red canvas
Gary Wragg, Skid (1984). Photographed by Paul Tucker, image courtesy of the artist

Manchester Open 2024 at HOME

Manchester Open at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 28 April 2024, free entry - Visit now

Manchester Open is back for its 2024 edition! A wonderful showcase of local talent, creativity and artistic experimentation, it’s an unmissable event in the city’s cultural calendar.

Connection by Tinuke Fagbourn
Connection by Tinuke Fagbourn.

Material Journeys at Manchester Craft & Design Centre

Material Journeys Exhibition at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, Manchester, Until 30 March 2024, free entry - Visit now

Three graduates were chosen for the this annual display of young talent at Manchester’s key craft hub. This year, innovative use of traditional materials is what the judges were most impressed by so expect to see some impressive, novel artistry. 

Ceramic Candlestick Holder
Ashley Knight

LOOK Climate Lab 2024 at Open Eye Gallery

LOOK Climate Lab 2024 at Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, Liverpool, Until 31 March 2024, free entry - Visit now

Exhibitions, talks, workshops, poetry readings, discussions – you’ll find all of this and more at this year’s edition of the LOOK Climate Lab which asks the big questions about the condition of our planet and how it can be healed.

LOOK Climate Lab 2024
Rob Battersby

Jane Jin Kaisen: ‘Halmang’ at esea contemporary

Jane Jin Kaisen: ‘Halmang’ at esea contemporary, Until 21 April 2024, free entry - Visit now

Jane Jin Kaisen explores Jeju Island off the Korean Peninsula as her birthplace and takes a closer look at its history, spirituality and the island’s female sea divers: the Jeju ‘haenyeo’.

3. Jane Jin Kaisen, 'Halmang', 2023, video still, courtesy of the artist
3. Jane Jin Kaisen, 'Halmang', 2023, video still, courtesy of the artist

Re: Loaded at The Royal Armouries Museum

Re: Loaded - Weapons of Mass Seduction at The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, Leeds, Until 30 June 2024, free entry - Visit now

Should we be making weapons beautiful? If so, why? There may be no obvious answers, but Re:Loaded at the Royal Armouries will not leave you indifferent. 

Abstract photo of a blue and platinum, diamond encrusted revolver. The camera lens used has refracted the image so it appears multiple times in the photo, slightly blurred. Taken on a dark purple background.
Royal Armouries Museum

The Lives of Artists – Babak Ganjei: Thanks For Having Me at the Bluecoat

Babak Ganjei: Thanks For Having Me at Bluecoat, Liverpool, Until 14 April 2024, free entry - Visit now

Fans of dry humour and witty one-liners will love this show by Babak Ganjei where the artist reflects on his life and career so far with his signature directness and deadpan comedy.

Babak Ganjei
Babak Ganjei

40 Years of the Future at Castlefield Gallery

40 Years of the Future at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, 20 2024–30 March 2025, free entry - Find Out More

Manchester’s beloved Castlefield Gallery is turning 40! Check out the exciting programme of events taking place throughout the year

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

LAND – Photographs by Matthew Conduit at Graves Gallery

LAND – Photographs by Matthew Conduit at Graves Gallery, Sheffield, Until 15 June 2024, free entry

Matthew Conduit has been returning to photograph the same post-industrial sites which have captivated him for three decades now – take a look at the large-scale results of his work at Graves Gallery’s new show.

A natural scene focusing on a dense, tall hedgerow. Photographed in high definition at close range so that the twigs and branches form a pattern. There are plastic wrappers and bags in the foreground.
© Matthew Conduit

Phlegm: Pandemic Diary at Millennium Gallery

Phlegm: Pandemic Diary at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, Until 7 July 2024, free entry - Visit now

Phlegm’s signature mural work is significantly scaled down in Pandemic Diary, where the artist uses his fantastical visions to share his experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A pen and ink drawing of a bird-like figure sitting down and hugging 3 human-like figures
Phlegm, Mother bird (Pandemic Diary series, no.66) © the artist

City of Rivers at Weston Park Museum

City of Rivers at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield, Until 3 November 2024, free entry - Visit now

Sheffield is undoubtedly a water city and this part of its identity is being highlighted in City of Rivers at Weston Park Museum, with artworks, local river finds, music and maps.

14. R Hudson, Brook Scene, Endcliffe Woods. Image © Sheffield Museums

Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery at The Whitworth

Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 7 April 2024, free entry - Visit now

Discover stories gathered in thread at the Whitworth, showcasing beautiful Palestinian textiles and celebrating exquisite local craft.

© The Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photo: Ruth Wedgbury.

Yevonde: Life and Colour at Laing Art Gallery

Yevonde: Life and Colour at Laing Art Gallery, North East, Until 20 April 2024, from £7.00 - Book now

Yevonde’s colour photographs are finally getting the recognition they deserve with a new show in Newcastle that has travelled from the National Portrait Gallery, securing her place in history as a pioneer of the medium.

Mask (Rosemary Chance) by Yevonde (1938, printed 2022-3), purchased with support from the Portrait Fund, 2021 © National Portrait Gallery, London

2024 Exhibition Highlights at the Whitworth

Exhibition Highlights 2024 at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 31 December 2024, free entry - Visit now

Mark these art dates in your diary – The Whitworth prepares for a new year of fantastic exhibitions with work from Shirley Craven, John Lyons, Ayo Akingbade and Barbara Walker.

Colourful figures painted in oil paint on cavas background
Shirley Craven for Hull Traders, Five (detail), 1966-67. Screen-printed furnishing textile. The Whitworth, the University of Manchester (T.12298.2). Photo: Michael Pollard.

Andrew Cranston: What made you stop here? at the Hepworth Wakefield

Andrew Cranston: What made you stop here? at The Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Until 2 June 2024, from £0.00 - Book now

Andrew Cranston’s compositions blend reality and fantasy encased in layers of paint and colour in the Hepworth Wakefield’s new show, the artist’s first ever public gallery solo exhibition.

Andrew Cranston, cat and cheeseboard, 2018. © Andrew Cranston. On loan from a private collection. Courtesy of the artist and Ingleby, Edinburgh. Photo: Andy Keate

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