Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
Life is back! Things are open! And there’s so much going on across the north this summer. Which has made it hard to choose this month’s top picks, but here we go.
First on the list is the return of Yorkshire Sculpture International. Billed as the UK’s largest dedicated sculpture festival when it first launched in 2019, this is YSI’s second-ever edition. Highlights include works by Shezad Dawood and Ariel René Jackson, as well as a series of new commissions by Yorkshire-based artists, all of which test the boundaries of what we might consider to be sculpture today.
Over in Liverpool (where the Biennial is now in full swing), FACT presents a new film by Toxteth-based Somali, queer, trans multidisciplinary artist, Kiara Mohamed. Curated by founder and editor of ROOT-ed Zine, Fauziya Johnson, Soft Boys draws attention to how conservative many people’s notions of masculinity still remain, and explores the radical potential of softness, tenderness and joy as transformational forces in overcoming trauma. Coinciding with the 10-year anniversary of the artist’s death, Real Lives at Tate Liverpool marks the first major display of Lucian Freud’s work in the North West in over 30 years – celebrating his achievements as one of the great masters of modern portraiture. Meanwhile, a short train ride away in sunny Port Sunlight, the Lady Lever Art Gallery has reopened with The Last Bohemian – an exhibition showcasing over 40 works by one of the UK’s most iconic and controversial artists: Augustus John.
Closer to home, the Manchester Jewish Museum is celebrating its long-awaited reopening following two years of major renovation works with the launch of a new audio-visual installation by Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost (jointly commissioned in partnership with Manchester International Festival). Presented within the museum’s breath-taking Grade II listed synagogue, The long waited, weighted gathering is inspired by stories from the museum’s oral history collection that capture the lives and experiences of the women who once occupied its Ladies’ Galleries – the area of the synagogue where women sat during services, separated from the men, in accordance with Jewish Orthodox tradition and religion. The work has been made in collaboration with women from the Cheetham Hill area and includes a number of textile pieces that respond to the themes and imagery in Prouvost’s film.
With plenty more going on across the region, check out our full list of recommendations below.
Here are our picks
-
1. The Last Bohemian: Augustus John at Lady Lever Art Gallery
Portrait of Augustus John by William Rothenstein, 1899. © National Museums Liverpool. The Last Bohemian: Augustus John at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Until 30 August 2021, free entry - Visit now
The Last Bohemian at Lady Lever Art Gallery explores the life and work of one of the UK’s most iconic and controversial artists – Augustus John.
-
2. Laure Prouvost: The long waited, weighted gathering at the Manchester Jewish Museum
Alexandre Guirkinger The long waited, weighted, gathering at Manchester Jewish Museum, Cheetham Hill, 2–18 July 2021, free entry - Find Out More
The Manchester Jewish Museum celebrates its reopening with a major new installation by Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost.
-
3. 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, 24 July 2021–16 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.
-
4. Kiara Mohamed: Soft Boys at FACT in Liverpool
Kiara Mohamed, Soft Boys (2021). Still from the film. Courtesy of the artist. -
5. Yorkshire Sculpture International 2021
Nwando Ebizie Distorted Constellations, 23 November, 2019 photo by Chris Rawcliffe Yorkshire Sculpture International 2021 at The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, 10 July–19 September 2021, free entry - Find Out More
The second edition of Yorkshire Sculpture International – the UK’s largest dedicated sculpture festival – opens this summer.
-
6. Tarek Lakhrissi: My Immortal at MOSTYN in Llandudno, Wales
Tarek Lakhrissi, My Immortal, 2020 Tarek Lakhrissi: My Immortal at MOSTYN in Llandudno, Wales, Llandudno, 3 July–26 September 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Artist Tarek Lakhrissi presents a nuanced examination of community and how it can exist as a paradoxical space of solace and tension.
-
7. Sir Antony Gormley: Field for the British Isles at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland
Antony Gormley Sir Antony Gormley: Field for the British Isles at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland, 24 July–25 September 2021, free entry - Find Out More
A 40,000 strong army descends on Sunderland; catch Sir Antony Gormley’s iconic Field for the British Isles at NGCA.
-
8. 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.
-
9. Slippages at Paradise Works, Salford
Sarah Blaszczok, Surplus 1, 2021 Slippages at Paradise Works, Salford, Until 26 June 2021, free entry - Visit now
Paradise Works presents an exhibition that blurs our understanding of real and imagined space, the familiar and the uncanny, and authenticity and artifice.
-
10. Abandon Normal Devices Festival 2021
Toxicity's Reach, Mary Maggic, Dr Luiza Prado de. O Martins, and Sissel Marie Tonn Abandon Normal Devices Festival 2021, Until 11 July 2021, Tickets not yet on sale - Book now
Abandon Normal Devices Festival, the UK’s only roaming digital festival, resurfaces in 2021 with a new hybrid format, exploring the post-industrial landscapes of the Manchester Ship Canal and River Mersey.
-
11. 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.
-
12. 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.
-
13. Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, GCHQ Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security at Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield, Until 31 August 2021 - Book now
TOP SECRET: the Science and Industry Museum digs into the history of British national security over the last 100 years.
-
14. 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.
-
15. AI: More than Human at World Museum Liverpool
Lawrence Lek 2065 (Preview). Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London AI: More than Human at World Museum Liverpool, City Centre, Until 31 October 2021, from £5 - Book now
Barbican’s major exhibition, AI: More than Human, comes to Liverpool, offering a tantlising look into the future.
-
16. Portable Sculpture at Henry Moore Institute in Leeds
James Ackerley Studio Objects 2021 Photography: James Ackerley Image courtesy of the artist Portable Sculpture at The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Leeds, Until 29 August 2021, free entry - Visit now
Portable Sculpture at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds challenges our expectations of what sculpture is and can do.
-
17. Electric Dreams – Online with Venture Arts
Declan Leslie, untitled, pen on paper, 2019-20. -
18. John Moores Painting Prize 2020 – Online and at Walker Art Gallery
Katheryn Maple The Common John Moores Painting Prize 2020 at Walker Art Gallery, City Centre and online, Until 27 June 2021, free entry - Visit now
The prestigious John Moores Painting Prize moves online for the first time, featuring the best in contemporary British painting.
-
19. Sutapa Biswas: Lumen at BALTIC, Gateshead
Sutapa Biswas, Light Rain , 2015 (production still). Made possible thanks to the generous support of Beppu Projects, Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan, the Kashima Residency 2015. © Sutapa Biswas. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2021 Sutapa Biswas: Lumen at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, 26 June 2021–20 March 2022, free entry - Find Out More
Sutapa Biswas’ major solo show explores the artist’s role in illuminating the imperialist structures that still exist within British society.
-
20. The Earth Asleep at HOME, Manchester
HOME The Earth Asleep at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 11 September 2021 - Book now
The Earth Asleep, a new film and original live score from creative duo Clara Casian and Robin Richards, premieres this spring at HOME.
-
21. Nicola Ellis and Ritherdon & Co Ltd: No gaps in the line at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Nicola Ellis, Live powder series, 2019. Image Courtesy the artist Nicola Ellis and Ritherdon & Co Ltd: No gaps in the line at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, Until 1 August 2021, free entry - Visit now
After a year of mostly silent and empty galleries, we look forward to this clamorous return to exhibiting ‘in the flesh’.
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.
Posters from the Irish civil rights era – Online with the Working Class Movement Library
Working Class Movement Library presents an online exhibition of powerful posters made by young activists fighting for civil rights in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
What it is to be here: Colonisation and Resistance – Online at The Portico Library
The Portico Library marks 250 years since British explorer James Cook first landed on the shores of what we now call Australia with an online exhibition that explores the history of violence and resistance that followed.
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.
Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North
Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North takes a close look at the moral dilemmas surrounding overseas aid.
#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.
Aliza Nisenbaum at Tate Liverpool
International portrait artist Aliza Nisenbaum will present a new painting at Tate Liverpool this winter, depicting members of the city’s key workers.
Culture Guides
Cinema in Manchester and the North
Curated seasons, brand new releases and some outdoor screenings. Cinema is back.
Literature
There’s plenty on as we head into June, including a county-wide celebration of libraries and some tempting sniffs of upcoming real-life live literature…
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.
Online events
Discover the best things to do online from the organisations we love in Manchester and the North.
Tours and Activities
The days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter and the flowers of spring have truly sprung. We’re welcoming in the new season with a guide of Tours and Activities that will inspire you to make, learn and move.
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
Powered by
