Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
With autumn creeping in, we’re back into full gallery-going season, and there’s plenty to check out.
She Appeared to Vanish at HOME Manchester and Waterside Arts in Sale challenges traditional depictions of the female form – laced in centuries of objectification and misogyny – through the work of five female artists/photographers. Charged with tension, subversion and resistance, this two-part show ripples with an uncanny, unruly energy that demands to be seen.
Over at BALTIC in Gateshead, Albert Portrony’s major new exhibition, EQUAL PLAY, continues the feminist theme, engaging with principles of non-gendered and non-prescriptive play, giving particular consideration to the role of men in relation to childcare. This jubilant show takes its reference from the work of the 20th-century Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck, whose ideas around the importance of creativity and imagination in everyday life still inspire generations today.
Imbued with a mix of beauty, strangeness, and carnality, Lauren Gault’s richly sensory exhibition Cithra at the Tetley in Leeds explores the close interdependency between wildness and domestication. Spanning everything from contemporary agricultural practices to archaeology, and biomaterials to rewilding, this timely show is informed by Gault’s experience of growing up in rural Northern Ireland and her research into the writings of her relative, the Irish-born female explorer, inventor, and self-educated scientist, Martha Craig (1866-1950).
Over in Liverpool, the Tate presents Lucy McKenzie’s first UK retrospective. Celebrated as being among the most singular artistic voices of her generation, this long-overdue show will bring together over 80 of McKenzie’s works from the last two decades, spanning themes including media depictions of women athletes, the politics of post-war muralism, music subcultures, fashion, and private and public space. Lastly, Uncertain Data at FACT Liverpool asks, who is the master and who is the servant in our relationship with data? The interactive show features newly commissioned work by four early-career artists, who together invite us to take a closer look at how technology is reshaping our perception of reality and the way in which society is ordered.
Here are our picks
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1. She Appeared to Vanish at Waterside Arts in Sale and HOME Manchester
She Appeared to Vanish at Waterside Arts, Manchester, Until 7 November 2021, free entry - Visit now
HOME and Waterside Arts present an exhibition steeped in energy, tension, subversion and feminist resistance.
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2. Albert Potrony: EQUAL PLAY at BALTIC, Gateshead
Equal Play Environment . Alphabet of shapes for loose parts elements. Albert Potrony 2020 EQUAL PLAY at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 31 October 2022, free entry - Visit now
Artist and educator Albert Potrony sets out to explore non-gendered and non-prescriptive modes of childhood play in a major new exhibition at BALTIC.
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3. Lauren Gault: Cithra at The Tetley, Leeds
via Leeds Inspired Lauren Gault: Cithra at The Tetley, Until 3 January 2022 - Book now
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4. Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool
Lucy McKenzie, Untitled 1997 Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, 20 October 2021–27 February 2022, from £9 - Book now
Spanning post-war muralism, fashion, music subcultures, gender politics and more, Lucy McKenzie’s first UK retrospective is not to be missed.
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5. Uncertain Data at FACT, Liverpool
Yambe Tam, Deep Dive (2021). Courtesy of the artist. -
6. The Annotated Reader & The Naming of Things at Castlefield Gallery in Manchester
Image courtesy Chris Scott. The Annotated Reader at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, Until 3 October 2021, free entry - Visit now
Castlefield Gallery presents two exhibitions that provide inspiration through words and investigate the slippery, fluid nature of language.
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7. Rosa-Johan Uddoh: Practice Makes Perfect at the Bluecoat in Liverpool
Rosa-Johan Uddoh: Practice Makes Perfect at Bluecoat, City Centre, 15 October 2021–23 January 2022, free entry - Find Out More
Rosa-Johan Uddoh’s exhibition ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ at the Bluecoat responds to the lack of Black British history taught in schools.
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8. Deborah Roberts: A Look Inside at the Bluecoat, Liverpool
Deborah Roberts, 'Let them be Children' Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Private Collection. Deborah Roberts: A Look Inside at Bluecoat, City Centre, 15 October 2021–23 January 2022, free entry - Find Out More
The first major UK solo exhibition of work by award-winning artist Deborah Roberts challenges notions of the body, beauty, race and identity.
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9. Earthbound: Contemporary Landscape from the Roberts Institute of Art at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Yto Barrada, Wallpaper - Tangier, 2001. Courtesy the Roberts Institute of Art and the David and Indrė Roberts Collection. ©Yto Barrada Earthbound: Contemporary Landscape from the Roberts Institute of Art at Millennium Gallery, City Centre, Until 31 October 2021, free entry - Visit now
Featuring work by numerous contemporary artists, Earthbound explores how Sheffield has been shaped by the landscape it exists within.
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10. Pippa Eason: Funny, blurry and everything hazy at PINK Manchester
Funny, blurry and everything hazy, Pippa Eason, detail, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist Funny, blurry and everything hazy at PINK Manchester, City Centre, Until 3 October 2021, free entry - Visit now
Investigating the role of early memories, ‘Funny, blurry and everything hazy’ at PINK Manchester is filled with a sense of childhood delight.
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11. British Textile Biennial 2021 – across Pennine Lancashire
Reetu Sattar, Queen Street Mill, British Textile Biennia. Photo by Richard Tymon British Textile Biennial at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Blackburn, 1–31 October 2021, free entry - Find Out More
This year’s British Textiles Biennial has an impressive list of headliners, including Maxine Peake, Lubaina Himid and fashion designer Patrick Grant.
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12. Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2021 at Victoria Baths in Manchester
Keeley Traae Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, 8–10 October 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Head along for this annual, award-winning showcase of over 150 specially selected designer-makers and craft artists, this year presented in the iconic new setting of Victoria Baths.
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13. Annie Morris: When A Happy Thing Falls at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Annie Morris studio portrait, 2021. Photo © Idris Khan When A Happy Thing Falls at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 6 February 2022, free entry - Visit now
Step into a dense forest of luminous, towering sculptures by Annie Morris that reflect the fragility of life, as well as hope and creativity.
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14. Emily Speed: Flatland at Tate Liverpool
Emily Speed, Flatland, 2021 Flatland at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 2 January 2022, free entry - Visit now
Emily Speed’s new film uses set design, choreography and costume to depict flattened hierarchies and close-knit community structures.
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15. At Home with the Pankhurst Family at the Pankhurst Centre
Courtesy of the Pankhurst Centre At Home with the Pankhurst Family at The Pankhurst Centre, Manchester and online, Until 29 August 2024, free entry - Visit now
The Pankhurst Centre’s new permanent exhibition offers an intimate snapshot of the lives of the people behind the iconic Pankhurst name.
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16. Counter-flow exhibition & ‘Identity Feet’ family-friendly creative workshops at People’s History Museum
© Eva Mileusnic Counter-flow at People’s History Museum, City Centre, Until 10 October 2021 - Book now
Explore themes of identity and migration, and partake in a series of family-friendly creative workshops taking place throughout the summer, at People’s History Museum.
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17. Art at Manchester International Festival 2021
Art has always been at the beating heart of Manchester International Festival and this year is no different.
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18. David Nash: Return to the Forest at Grizedale Sculpture in Cumbria
David Nash, Running Table, Grizedale, 2021 David Nash: Return to the Forest at Grizedale Sculpture at Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, Until 12 December 2021, free entry - Visit now
Return to the Forest captures a seminal moment in the development of one of Britain’s most important contemporary sculptors.
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19. Rachel Kneebone: 399 Days at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Rachel Kneebone 399 Days (detail) 2012-13. Photo Stephen White courtesy White Cube Rachel Kneebone: 399 Days at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 24 April 2022, free entry - Visit now
Encounter artist Rachel Kneebone’s most ambitious sculpture to date, presented in the unique setting of YSP’s 18th-century chapel.
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20. Refloresta! Maria Nepomuceno at The Portico Library in Manchester
Andrew Brooks Refloresta! Maria Nepomuceno at The Portico Library at The Portico Library, Chinatown, Until 22 November 2021, free entry - Visit now
The Portico Library presents an installation of immersive sculptural and textile works by world-renowned Brazilian artist Maria Nepomuceno.
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21. Lucian Freud: Real Lives at Tate Liverpool
Lucian Freud, Girl with a White Dog 1950-1 © Tate Lucian Freud: Real Lives at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 16 January 2022, from £5 - Book now
Tate Liverpool presents the first major display of portraits by Lucian Freud in the North West in over 30 years.
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22. You Belong Here: Artists Rediscovering Salford’s Green Spaces at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Lizzie King (work in progress) You Belong Here: Artists Rediscovering Salford’s Green Spaces at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester, Until 28 November 2021, free entry - Visit now
Salford Museum & Art Gallery presents an exhibition that highlights the city’s green spaces and the stories that they tell.
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23. Tai Shani: The Neon Hieroglyph – Online with Manchester International Festival Virtual Factory
Tai Shani, The Neon Hieroglyph (still), 2021 Tai Shani: The Neon Hieroglyph – Online with Manchester International Festival Virtual Factory, online, Until 31 March 2022, free entry - Visit now
Turner Prize winning artist Tai Shani takes us on an LSD-inspired hallucinatory journey across time and space. Prepare to have your consciousness expanded.
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24. Silence – Alone in a World of Wounds at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
© Silence - Alone In A World Of Wounds, 2021. Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park & The Oak Project. Photo © Jonty Wilde Silence – Alone in a World of Wounds at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 5 June 2023 - Book now
Stop and spend an hour or two with this special creation, nestled within a stand of birch trees beside Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Upper Lake.
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25. Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life at The Hepworth Wakefield
Hepworth carving in the Palais de Danse, 1961. © Bowness, Hepworth Estate Photo: Rosemary Mathews Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life at The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, Until 27 February 2022 - Book now
The Hepworth Wakefield celebrates its 10th birthday with the largest exhibition of Barbara Hepworth’s work since the artist’s death in 1975.
More in Exhibitions
Damien Hirst at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Experience YBA artist Damien Hirst’s towering and provocative outdoor sculptures at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Trading Station: how hot drinks shape our lives at Manchester Art Gallery
Trading Station at Manchester Art Gallery charts the history and changing social role of hot drinks in our lives.
These Lancashire Women are Witches in Politics with The Turnpike
A collaborative project that takes inspiration from the history of the Leigh Female Reformers of 1819 and the monstrous representations of them in the media of the time.
Florence Nightingale Bicentenary: Inspiration to Genius
Florence Nightingale Bicentenary: Inspiration to Genius is an online exhibition exploring the life of Florence Nightingale and her connection to Lotherton Hall.
Joana Vasconcelos at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents the monumental work of celebrated Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.
Below the Salt Online Exhibition
Below the Salt is an exhibition of new works by Catherine Bertola, shown alongside the first inventory of Temple Newsam House, made on 12 September 1520.
Sounds of Our City Online Exhibition
The Sounds of Our City Online Exhibition gives you a chance to visit the current exhibition at Abbey House Museum virtually. Find out how the different musical styles and venues of Leeds interact.
What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery reopens with a thought-provoking new exhibition that delves into the history of the public institution and its role within the city.
#WELCOME? at the People’s History Museum
#WELCOME? at the People’s History Museum explores the wider impact of media coverage and changing immigration controls.
Culture Guides
Cinema in Manchester and the North
Black History Month, spooky screenings and the return of film festivals all feature in this month’s cinema guide.
Literature
Events for readers meet events for writers, with plenty of book launches, open mics, literature festivals, writing conferences and poetry showcases to pop into your diary for the remainder of September pushing into October, both online and in person.
Classical Music in Manchester and the North
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester and the north.
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
A guide to Food and Drink in Manchester and the North, including plenty of new bars and restaurants and exciting new menus from old favourites.
Tours and Activities
Summer is here and we’re so excited to be out in the world touring, making, playing and doing all the things Manchester and the North has to offer.
Destination Guides
Related Guides
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
A guide to Food and Drink in Manchester and the North, including plenty of new bars and restaurants and exciting new menus from old favourites.
Art Galleries in Manchester & Salford
Here’s a list of our favourite art galleries in Manchester and Salford, and what to look forward to when they reopen.
Museums in Sheffield
Sheffield has more than its fair share of weird and wonderful museums housed within its seven hills. Check out our favourites.
Art Galleries in Sheffield
A contender for the UK’s largest practicing community of artists and designers outside London – there’s a pretty impressive number of top art galleries in Sheffield.
Lunch in Manchester
Whether it’s a light bite or a hefty doorstep you’re after, good lunch places (like coffee shops) are one thing Manchester is not short on.
Museums in Manchester
Manchester is studded with fantastic museums – read our picks of the best here.
Places to go / stay / shop / eat / drink
Things to do right now
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