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With the unpredictable British summer, you can never be quite sure if that picnic in the park will work out but keep in mind that this season is also filled with fresh, exciting art for you to see all around the North! From shows tackling serious environmental issues to those closer to a playground than a white cube, this month brings art treats for all ages.
Starting off with a fun option for younger visitors, Liverpool’s Bluecoat gallery has just opened Are You Messin’?, a playful display co-created by artists with children from local primary schools.
Further North, at the Henry Moore Institute, you’ll find Lungiswa Gqunta: Sleep in Witness, the artist’s largest show to date exploring the violent legacy of colonialism and revealing the hidden modes of oppression of South African people of colour. Gqunta’s use of materials is original and genuinely unexpected, making it a true highlight of this summer’s art calendar.
Staying with more political subject matter, Carolina Caycedo’s exhibition Land of Friends at the BALTIC includes a brand new, locally-inspired commission focusing on the River Tyne. The artist prioritises communities in her artistic process, in order to reveal the hardships faced by people directly affected by environmental injustice.
Salford Museum & Art Gallery is hosting a mesmerising display of drawings from Rachel Goodyear. Having exhibited all around the country and abroad, Stirrings is a chance to finally see Goodyear’s fantastical pieces in Salford, where she has worked and developed as an artist for 20 years.
Taking inspiration from the flow of water, particularly the local River Bollin, Jen Southern has created five videos for the installation Gathering Downstream currently on display at National Trust’s Quarry Bank. The piece explores environmental change and disruption as well as the legacy of the industrial revolution in and around the site.
If you’re in the market for some brand new artwork from the local art scene, pop down to Castlefield Gallery to check out PIVOT: Editions. This bold display of affordable, editioned work presents art from five emerging artists, with the added bonus of being able to take it home.
Here are our picks
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1. Are You Messin’? at the Bluecoat
Katie Schwab, Knots, Family Day at BALTIC, Gateshead, 2018. Photo: Colin Davison Are You Messin'?: Exhibition for children and families at Bluecoat, City Centre, Until 18 September 2022, free entry - Visit now
The Bluecoat’s new offering for younger visitors is the perfect way to spend a family day out, from touchable installations and relaxation spaces to a reading room – your little ones might not want to leave!
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2. Lungiswa Gqunta: Sleep in Witness at The Henry Moore Institute
Lungiswa Gqunta, 'Tending to the harvest of dreams', 2021, Barbed wire, fabric, steel, water, mpepho, sound., Photo: Diana Pfammatter. Courtesy the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery Lungiswa Gqunta at The Henry Moore Institute at The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Leeds, 8 July–30 October 2022, free entry - Find Out More
From petrol bombs to bed sheets, Gqunta’s multifaceted practice is subtle yet incredibly powerful – don’t miss her largest exhibition to date.
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3. Carolina Caycedo: Land of Friends at BALTIC Gateshead
Patron Mono, Carolina Caycedo, Land of Friends, Photo: Tom Nolan. © 2022, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Carolina Caycedo at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 20 November 2022, free entry
Los Angeles-based artist Carolina Caycedo’s new show at the BALTIC aims to challenge colonial perspectives and expose environmental injustices and extractivism around the world.
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4. Rachel Goodyear: Stirrings at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Rachel Goodyear Hole 2022 copyright the artist. 3 x stills from animation; full running time 13.16mins (looped) hand - drawn animations by Rachel Goodyear; Sound by Matt Wand. Rachel Goodyear: Stirrings at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester, 15 July 2022–26 February 2023, free entry - Find Out More
Admire Rachel Goodyear’s skilful drawings peppered with symbolism and mythological references at her ‘homecoming’ home this summer, on display at Salford Museum & Art Gallery.
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5. Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank
Jen Southern Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank, Cheshire, Until 25 November 2022, free entry - Visit now
The former cotton mill is currently home to an exhibition by artist Jen Southern, exploring the site’s legacy of the industrial revolution and environmental change.
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6. PIVOT: Editions at Castlefield Gallery
Pat Flynn PIVOT: Editions at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now
Are you thinking about starting an art collection? Perhaps you want to add something new to an existing one? Whether or not you’re looking to purchase a new piece of art, check out Castlefield Gallery’s new display PIVOT: Editions, offering the work of five artists from the North-West.
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7. The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at Walker Art Gallery
Queen Elizabeth I by Unknown English artist, circa 1588 (c) National Portrait Gallery, London The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at Walker Art Gallery, City Centre, Until 29 August 2022, from £6.00 - Book now
The Tudors are sure to draw a crowd just as they have done for centuries – don’t miss this excellent display of portraiture, artefacts and lesser-known aspects of the Tudor reign.
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8. Jaume Plensa: In small places, close to home at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Jaume Plensa Jaume Plensa: In small places, close to home at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 30 October 2022, free entry - Visit now
The much-loved sculptor’s drawings are on display in the Weston Gallery and Chapel, revealing Plensa’s preoccupation with the human condition and community.
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9. Barbara Nicholls’ watercolours and ‘Dovetailing’ at Windermere Jetty Museum
'Subsidence' by Barbara Nicholls. Image courtesy Turnpike CIC_Photo Livia Lazar Barbara Nicholls' watercolours and 'Dovetailing' at Windermere Jetty Museum at Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories, Cumbria, Until 4 September 2022, from £4.50 - Book now
Admire the lake as well as the art at Windermere Jetty Museum this summer, with two gorgeous exhibitions: watercolours from artist Barbara Nicholls; and an immersive, collaborative installation developed remotely during lockdown.
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10. The Vasseur BALTIC Artists Award 2022 at BALTIC, Gateshead
Laleh Khorromian, Egg Rig The Vasseur BALTIC Artists Award 2022 at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 2 October 2022, free entry - Visit now
Newcastle’s BALTIC is celebrating its 20th anniversary in style – with a show resulting from an international biennial award judged solely by other artists.
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11. Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool at Walker Art Gallery
© Robin Clewley Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool at Walker Art Gallery, City Centre, Until 8 January 2023, free entry - Visit now
Walker Art Gallery turns its focus towards the home town of Liverpool, with an exhibition of 21 local painters’ work.
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12. Sebastião Salgado: Amazônia at the Science and Industry Museum
Science Museum Group - © Amazônia at Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield, Until 14 August 2022, free entry - Visit now
Sebastião Salgado’s exhibition Amazônia has arrived in Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum, with over 200 magnificent photographs of the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants, in areas most at risk from climate change.
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13. Radical Landscapes at Tate Liverpool
Hurvin Anderson, Double Grille, 2008 © Hurvin Anderson. All Rights Reserved, DACS/ Artimage 2022 Radical Landscapes at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 4 September 2022, from £5.00 - Book now
A fresh look at landscape as a subject for artists, this exhibition is full of surprises and explores a multitude of concerns: from the human impact on the ecosystem to land-related rituals, and questions about freedom of access to natural spaces.
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14. Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield
Installation of Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield, 2022. Art works L-R: Peace Barrier, 2018; Ripe Rip, 2019; Nowhere To Go, 2022. Photo: Tom Bird / Courtesy: The Hepworth Wakefield Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, Until 25 September 2022 - Book now
Visit the major new exhibition of work from the master of textile art Sheila Hicks, with over 70 works from international and private collections revealing the multifaceted nature of her work.
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15. Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank
Jen Southern Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank, Cheshire, Until 25 November 2022, free entry - Visit now
The former cotton mill of Quarry Bank is currently home to an ‘Gathering Downstream’, an exhibition exploring the site’s legacy of the industrial revolution alongside environmental change and disruption.
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16. Emily Hesse: The Witches’ Institution (W.I.) at The Tetley
Emily Hesse, The Old Wife, 2019. Courtesy the artist Emily Hesse: The Witches’ Institution (W.I.) at The Tetley, Until 18 September 2022, free entry - Visit now
The experimental works, discussions and experiences in The Witches’ Institution (W.I.), create an alternative reality where a group of witches takes over a cultural institution, where the gallery becomes a space of possibility – a host to change and revolt.
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17. Bury Art Shop
Photo by Stephen Walton Bury Art Shop, Bury Art Museum, Moss Street, Bury, Greater Manchester, BL9 0DR - Visit now
The perfect place to find gifts, stationery, cards, children’s books and, most importantly, museum souvenirs if you want to take home a little reminder of your visit and the gallery’s wonderful collections.
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18. Mounira Al Solh: A Day Is As Long As A Year at BALTIC, Gateshead
Courtesy the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg Mounira Al Solh at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 2 October 2022, free entry - Visit now
Using a multitude of mediums to examine themes of memory and trauma as a result of forced migration, Mounira Al Solh’s exhibition amplifies the voices of people from the Middle East, displaced to Lebanon, Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world.
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19. Kunichika: Japanese Prints at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight
© National Museums Liverpool, courtesy of Frank Milner Kunichika: Japanese Prints at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now
The exhibition showcases the work of one of the most important printmakers of 19th century Japan, Toyohara Kunichika, who used his mastery of the medium to depict thoroughly modern subjects at a time of great social and political change.
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20. Robert Indiana: Sculpture 1958-2018 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
© Jonty Wilde, courtesy of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, artwork: © 2022 Morgan Art Foundation Ltd./ Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY/DACS, London Robert Indiana: Sculpture 1958-2018 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 8 January 2023, from £0.00 - Book now
The Pop artist’s signature colourful sculptures are now on display at YSP, against a backdrop of green hills and woodland.
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21. 2022 Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum
People's History Museum 2022 Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum (PHM), City Centre, Until 8 January 2023, free entry - Visit now
Filled with striking reminders and symbols of the fight for justice, the Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum will take you on a journey through the history of rights and equality via its dazzling collection.
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22. Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss at The Whitworth
Stacey Hill Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now
This constituent-led exhbition is the first of its kind and offers an intimate snapshot of grief, life after baby loss and the importance that creativity can have in the process.
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23. 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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