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With coronavirus restrictions in a continued state of flux, it feels more than a relief to still be allowed to visit local galleries and museums. And there is an abundance of stellar offline exhibitions open and upcoming to satisfy those keen to get back to seeing art in the flesh.
Perhaps most exciting of all is the recent announcement that Manchester Art Gallery is to host Grayson’s Art Club. Based on the popular Channel 4 series that helped countless viewers through the boredom, loneliness and confinement of early lockdown, the show will present the Turner-Prize winning artist Grayson Perry’s personal highlights from the more than 10,000 works that were submitted to the programme by the public over its course – constituting a nationwide display.
Grayson fandom aside, we’re also looking forward to a rather unconventional exhibition at Castlefield Gallery. Embracing the idea of ‘freedom within restriction’, Obstructions will see 15 Manchester-based artists each present a new version of an existing piece, re-made following a bespoke rule or limitation imposed upon them by another artist in the show. Challenging the exhibitors to work in ways outside of their usual creative comfort zone, the results should be fascinating to encounter.
With concerns about health and care at the forefront of many people’s mind right now, BALTIC in Gateshead is to present an immersive installation by Lithuanian artist duo Pakui Hardware that explores the growing digitisation of medicine and its move toward virtual and robotic care giving. Meanwhile, Multiplicities in Flux at CFCCA responds partly to the rise in racism experienced by people of East Asian background since the beginning of the pandemic.
Over the Pennies, another of our top picks comes from Steel City where a re-showing of images from a 1980s photography initiative The Sheffield Project captures a pivotal moment of social, cultural and urban change in Sheffield’s history and its impact on the people who lived through it.
With plenty more exhibitions to choose from as well, the North West’s visual arts scene seems very much alive. Be sure to check out our full guide to the best online events from organisations in Manchester and the North too.
Stay well folks.
Here are our picks
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1. Grayson’s Art Club at Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester
Grayson's Art Club at Manchester Art Gallery, Chinatown, 25 November 2020–18 April 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry presents a major exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery featuring work made by the nation during the initial weeks of lockdown.
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2. Obstructions at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Sabrina Fuller, Away (2020). Video still Obstructions at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, 22 November 2020–17 January 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Castlefield Gallery presents ‘Obstructions’ – a rather unconventional group show about the freedoms within restriction, and rules that are sometimes there to be broken.
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3. Pakui Hardware at BALTIC in Gateshead
Pakui Hardware, Underbelly, 2019. Installation view at MdbK Leipzig, Germany. Photo: Ugnius Gelguda. Courtesy the artist Pakui Hardware at Baltic, 28 November 2020–18 April 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Lithuanian artist duo Pakui Hardware presents an immersive art installation about the future and ethics of virtual health care.
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4. Multiplicities in Flux at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester
Eelyn Lee, still from Britishness (2019). Courtesy of the artist. Multiplicities in Flux at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester, Until 31 January 2021, free entry - Visit now
CFCCA presents a two-person exhibition that challenges ideas of Britishness, belonging, identity and citizenship.
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5. The Sheffield Project at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
Anna Fox, Regeneration 1, 1988 © the artist The Sheffield Project at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield, Until 3 May 2021, free entry - Visit now
Commissioned in the mid-1980s, The Sheffield Project focused a lens on a unique chapter in the city’s history, when it embarked on a journey of radical change.
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6. Aliza Nisenbaum at Tate Liverpool
Nimo, Sumiya, and Bisharo harvesting flowers and vegetables at Hope Community Garden, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Anton Kern Gallery, New York / Aliza Nisenbaum. Aliza Nisenbaum at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, 15 December 2020–27 June 2021, free entry - Find Out More
International portrait artist Aliza Nisenbaum will present a new painting at Tate Liverpool this winter, depicting members of the city’s key workers.
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7. The Making of Husbands: Christina Ramberg in Dialogue at BALTIC in Gateshead
Christina Ramberg, Willful Excess, 1977, Copyright the Estate of Christina Ramberg, Courtesy Sammlung / Collection of Karin Tappendorf -
8. Huma Bhabha: Against Time at BALTIC, Gateshead
In the Shadow of the Sun, 2016, courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York -
9. Augmented Empathy at FACT, Liverpool
Keiken, Sakeema Crook and Ryan Vautier, Augmented Empathy, 2020. Photo by Drew Forsyth. Installation view at FACT, 2020. -
10. White Psyche at the Whitworth in Manchester
Cupid and Psyche Scene 11, Reconciliation of Cupid and Psyche 1815 Hand block-printed wallpaper. Made in France. The Whitworth, The University of Manchester White Psyche at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 31 January 2021, free entry - Visit now
White Psyche at the Whitworth examines the aesthetics of white supremacy through the story of Cupid and Psyche – a classical tale of love and good looks.
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11. BRUTAL at Saul Hay Gallery in Manchester
Mandy Smith - Precinct 1(Spray paint and oil paint on marble) BRUTAL - an exhibition of painting and sculpture at Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester, Manchester, 7–22 November 2020, free entry - Find Out More
BRUTAL at Saul Hay offers an important chance to step back and consider the rapidly changing fabric of our urban surroundings.
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12. Art Comes HOME at HOME, Manchester
HOME Art Comes HOME at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 3 January 2021 - Book now
HOME reopens its main gallery with three simultaneous exhibitions of new work by Nick Burton, Joy Yamusangie and duo Mike S Redmond & Faye Coral Johnson.
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13. Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North
© ICRC: Hussein Baydoun AID WORKERS: ETHICS UNDER FIRE - Exhibition at Imperial War Museum North (IWM North), Manchester, Until 31 May 2021, free entry - Visit now
Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North takes a close look at the moral dilemmas surrounding overseas aid.
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14. Olivia Bax: Off Grid at Cross Lane Projects in Kendal, Cumbria
Olivia Bax - Kingpin, 2020, steel, polysterene, foam, chicken wire, newspaper, glue, paint, plaster, funnels, powdercoated steel stands Olivia Bax: Off Grid at Cross Lane Projects, Cumbria, 31 October–12 December 2020, free entry - Visit now
Cross Lane Projects presents ‘Off Grid’ – a solo exhibition of new work by Olivia Bax, winner of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2019/20.
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15. Jonathan Baldock: Facecrime at Bluecoat in Liverpool
Jonathan Baldock, Facecrime, Bluecoat Installation View, 2020.2 -
16. Jamie Crewe: Solidarity & Love at Humber Street Gallery in Hull
Installation view, 2020. Jamie Crewe, Solidarity & Love. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2020. Photo by Jules Lister Jamie Crewe: Solidarity & Love at Humber Street Gallery, Hull, Until 13 December 2020, free entry - Visit now
Humber Street Gallery in Hull presents Solidarity & Love, an exhibition by artist Jamie Crewe that spans subjects of heartbreak, transphobia and LGBTQIA+ solidarity.
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17. Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds
Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body at Henry Moore Institute. Photo: Stefan Hostettler Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body at The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Leeds, Until 3 January 2021, free entry - Visit now
Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body continues the Henry Moore Institute’s programme of exhibitions dedicated to contemporary sculptors yet to receive full exposure in the UK.
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18. Syd Shelton: Rock Against Racism at Gallery Oldham and Online
Specials Fans. Potternewton Park, Leeds, 1981. Courtesy of the artist and Autograph, London -
19. What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery
Photography Andrew Brooks What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery, Chinatown, Until 31 January 2023, free entry - Visit now
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.
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20. Images of protest: Black Lives Matter at People’s History Museum
Jake Hardy Images of protest: Black Lives Matter at People’s History Museum in Manchester, City Centre, Until 31 December 2020, free entry - Visit now
People’s History Museum presents a powerful selection of images taken by photographer Jake Hardy documenting one of the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests that took place in central Manchester during May 2020.
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21. Phoebe Davies: Points of Rupture at Site Gallery in Sheffield
Spiral Holds # 2 Phoebe Davies. Phoebe Davies: Points of Rupture at Site Gallery in Sheffield, City Centre, Until 31 December 2020, free entry - Visit now
For her first solo exhibition, Welsh artist Phoebe Davies presents a new body of work inspired by her time spent with a group of teenage female wrestlers training in a local club on the outskirts of Oslo.
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22. Don McCullin at Tate Liverpool
Don McCullin, Liverpool 8 Neighbourhood c. 1970 © Don McCullin Don McCullin at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 9 May 2021, from £11 - Book now
Tate Liverpool presents a major retrospective of work by Don McCullin, widely considered to be one of the greatest photojournalists of our time.
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23. Allegories of the Senses at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley
Eduardo Paolozzi. Images courtesy of The Cooper Gallery Allegories of the Senses at The Cooper Gallery, Barnsley, Barnsley, Until 21 November 2020, free entry - Visit now
At a time when so much of life and culture seems to have migrated online, Cooper Gallery in Barnsley presents Allegories of the Senses – an exhibition centred upon the more tangible qualities of lived experience.
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24. Mikhail Karikis: Ferocious Love at Tate Liverpool
Mikhail Karikis Ferocious Love 2020 © Mikhail Karikis Mikhail Karikis: Ferocious Love at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 22 November 2020, free entry - Visit now
Tate Liverpool reopens this July with a new immersive installation by Mikhail Karikis imagining the possible future of our planet.
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25. Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Federico Zuccaro, Head and shoulders of a bearded man wearing a cap, possibly a self-portrait, 16th–17th Century © The Devonshire Collections, Reproduced by kind permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, City Centre, Until 1 November 2020, free entry - Visit now
Drawings by artists such as Carpaccio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck make up this major exhibition dedicated to ‘lines of beauty’.
More in Exhibitions
The Sun at the Science and Industry Museum
This blockbuster exhibition was due to close at the end of March, but has been extended until 29 November as part of the Science and Industry Museum’s reopening programme.
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.
2020 Banner Display at People’s History Museum
Visit People’s History Museum’s 2020 display of political banners from across the years – including several that will go on public show for the first time.
Utopias at the Whitworth
How have visions of utopia and the visual culture that helped form it impacted upon the Brexit debate? A new exhibition at the Whitworth explores.
Emii Alrai: The High Dam at The Tetley in Leeds
Combining demon lures and invented artefacts, ancient mythology and family lore, The High Dam at The Tetley in Leeds is the latest new work by upcoming artist Emii Alrai.
POSTPONED -The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Adventures of Mog the Forgetful Cat at Z-arts
In this immersive exhibition, children can let their imaginations go wild as they take centre stage alongside some of their favourite characters from beloved children’s author, Judith Kerr.
Wait I’m From Wuhan with HOME
Follow Jasmine’s story, as she struggles to decide whether or not to search for her birth family in Wuhan, told via a series of Instagram and blog posts.
Joana Vasconcelos at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents the monumental work of celebrated Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.
Anthony Burgess on Tape
Anthony Burgess on Tape is an online exhibition from the International Anthony Burgess Foundation comprising of 1,094 cassettes and 87 reel-to-reel tapes from one of Manchester’s greatest and most prolific writers.
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