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With the longer nights drawing in, there’s no denying we’re heading into the darkness of winter. Fear not, however, as a brand-new arrival to Manchester’s festival scene is filling the city with light. Corridor of Light celebrates the immense creativity – past and present – that the Oxford Road Corridor (stretching for one square mile south of Central Library) has long been home to, through a series of specially-commissioned new works by acclaimed international, UK and Manchester-based artists. From nightly algoraves to a giant heart-shaped mirror ball installation that is transforming Manchester’s newest neighbourhood into a fantastical, swirling space; check out our guide.
This year’s Journeys International Festival also features in our latest top picks. The annual programme of events, exhibitions, film screenings and performances explores issues relating to the world’s ongoing refugee crisis, and is created in collaboration with community members and artists with experience of forced migration. Look out in particular for Where There Is Light – an immersive sound and light installation featuring the voices and stories of asylum seekers living in the city, asking searching questions about where we find light in our lives.
That so many people continue to experience forced displacement as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or the climate crisis paints a damning picture of where the world is at. Aptly titled Future Ages Will Wonder, FACT in Liverpool’s upcoming exhibition considers how the stories we tell about our past, present and future shape our sense of identity and belonging, and, by extension, how re-examining these narratives might help us to carve out new possible ways of existing in harmony with each other and the planet.
John Powell-Jones is an artist whose practice has long focused on the degree to which dominant ideologies and power structures influence our perceptions of reality, inviting audiences to consider alternative ways of viewing the world and our part within it. His first major exhibition, presented at Castlefield Gallery in Manchester, does so by transporting visitors to the inhospitable planet of Durt, 1,000 years after the Quantum Crash – a botched experiment that saw the first humanoid quantum teleportation result in a disaster of apocalyptic scale. Employing his signature use of speculative fiction (informed by European folklore, body horror, survival horror and science fiction), CYBERJUNK offers a humorous yet incisive critique of the horrors of Western capitalism and neoliberal ideology.
Finally, Manchester Art Fair, and its sister event, The Manchester Contemporary, return this November, offering visitors the chance to browse a vast selection of modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and editioned prints by artists from around the country. One of the largest and most prestigious art fairs in the UK, this annual whirlwind event is not to be missed.
Here are our picks
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1. Future Ages Will Wonder at FACT in Liverpool
Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Dust to Data (2021). Image courtesy the artists Future Ages Will Wonder at FACT, City Centre, 28 October 2021–20 February 2022, free entry - Find Out More
FACT presents an ‘alternative museum’ of artworks that question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are.
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2. John Powell-Jones: CYBERJUNK at Castlefield Gallery in Manchester
John Powell-Jones, Quantum Loop (Video stil), 2020 John Powell-Jones: CYBERJUNK at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, Until 19 December 2021, free entry - Visit now
John Powell-Jones’ first major exhibition transports visitors to the inhospitable planet of Durt, 1,000 years after the Quantum Crash.
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3. Manchester Art Fair 2021 at Manchester Central
Manchester Art Fair Manchester Art Fair at Manchester Central Convention Centre, City Centre, 19–21 November 2021, from £5 - Book now
Firm favourites in Manchester’s cultural calendar, the Manchester Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary weekend are not to be missed.
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4. Jock McFadyen Goes to the Lowry
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5. 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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6. Pushing Paper: Contemporary drawing from 1970s to now
Cooper gallery Pushing Paper: Contemporary drawing from 1970 to now at The Cooper Gallery, Barnsley, Barnsley, Until 5 February 2022, free entry - Visit now
Explore the past 50 years of contemporary drawing at the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley, featuring work from Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin and Anish Kapoor.
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7. 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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8. 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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9. Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool
Lucy McKenzie, Untitled 1997 Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 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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10. Rosa-Johan Uddoh: Practice Makes Perfect at the Bluecoat in Liverpool
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11. 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. -
12. 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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13. 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, Until 31 October 2021, free entry - Visit now
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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14. 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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15. 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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16. 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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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.
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.
Thwaite at 30 at Thwaite Watermill
In the Thwaite at 30 online exhibition, uncover the fascinating story of Thwaite Watermill as it celebrates its 30th year as a museum.
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 rest of October and onwards into November, 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
Resist the urge to hibernate this autumn; our latest selection of tours and activities will have you out and about, making the most of what’s on offer in Manchester and the North.
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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