This winter sees Manchester host a range of exhibitions, whether it be galleries, studios and museums presenting art from both new and renowned artists, or installations that really get you thinking and immersed in the experience. Manchester is a cultural hub and you’ll find plenty of exhibitions showcasing the likes of art, photography, memorabilia, sculptures and historical artefacts across the city to discover during your free time. So switch off from the everyday and become fully absorbed in these exhibitions taking place in Manchester this spring, many of which are free to visit.
Art exhibitions in Manchester
1. L.S Lowry Exhibition, The Lowry
Of course, the largest collection of L.S Lowry‘s work has to be on display at his namesake gallery, and The Lowry boasts its most comprehensive selection ever. Lowry’s so-called ‘matchstick men‘ populate his paintings based on locations around the North West where he spent most of his life, especially Pendlebury, Lancashire, and often evoke a familiarity in northerners, whether through the industrial landscapes they portray, or familiar activities such as ‘Going To Work‘ or milling around a ‘Market Scene‘.
In addition to his paintings, the gallery also houses an extensive archive of photographs, press cuttings and exhibition catalogues associated with Lowry, providing critical and curatorial analysis of his work for a deeper look at the person behind the easel. This permanent exhibition is perfect for anyone familiar with his work who wants to get a real-life look at their favourite pieces, but also newbies keen to take in some North West culture at the true home of L.S Lowry. Permanent exhibition | Free entry.
2. Manchester Open Exhibition 2024, HOME Gallery
Taking place every two years, the Open Exhibition is the biggest celebration of Greater Manchester’s creative talent. Between 3 February and 28 April 2024, the HOME Gallery walls will be filled with work created by you, selected by a panel consisting of art experts and community representatives. Open to all, those who already identify as artists and those who don’t, the Manchester Open brings together artwork including paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, ceramics, digital and mixed media, video, audio and more. February 3 – April 28 | Free entry.
3.The Irish Nation, Citywide
Commissioned by Irish Mancunian, an organisation that curates cultural events of Irish interest for Manchester audiences, The Irish Nation has been transformed into a free-to-view art trail with the support of global art producer, Wild in Art, with each piece placed in a venue carefully selected to provide context to the piece.
Ten years in the making, the project began in 2015, when Mark Kennedy spontaneously created a piece of Samuel Beckett, a piece of work that awakened something within him, reaffirming his deep Irish roots. The stunning collection of original and previously unseen mosaics now portrays seventeen personalities from the worlds of literature, music, sport and history.
Singer Luke Kelly will be found at Hallé St Peter’s; Manchester United legend George Best at the National Football Museum; music icons Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan at New Century; poet, playwright and wit Oscar Wilde at Queer Lit; playwright Samuel Beckett at 53Two; and John F. Kennedy at the Science and Industry Museum in a nod to the part he played in the moon landings. Ends 31 March | Free.
4. Stanley Chow Presents: A Random Selection of his Illustrations Featuring People from Film, Stage and TV, The Edge Chorlton
This special exhibition will run from Thursday 15 February – Thursday 30 May 2024 and will showcase Stan’s personally curated collection of actors from the stage, film and television – several of whom are BAFTA, Emmy, Olivier and Academy Award winners. The exhibition will also include the three patrons of The Edge, Sir Mark Rylance, Julie Hesmondhalgh and John Thomson.
Since he started working as a professional artist nearly thirty years ago, Stan Chow has diversified into many areas within design and illustration, but he is best known for his distinctive portraiture of pop stars, actors, sports people and celebrities. This will be the first time Stan has focused his attention on a collection of work from film, stage and television, as he says: “I had a lot of fun looking through my back catalogue to find the images that would work in the lovely space offered to me at The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre and it’ll be the first time my design of Sir Mark Rylance will be shown in public.” February 15 – May 30 | Free entry.
5. Room To Breathe, Manchester Art Gallery
Room to Breathe is a dedicated space to help you experience art in a more mindful way. You can see a variety of works from the collection and listen to original audio guides to help you to explore the art using mindful techniques.
Furniture, colour scheme, number and height of art works, text and audio meditations have all been carefully chosen in a way that we hope will encourage deeper engagement with art and reduce stress. This a room for you. To rest. To recover. A room to breathe… Ends 6 April | Free entry.
Design exhibitions in Manchester
6. Shirley Craven, The Whitworth
Born in Hull in 1934 and evacuated during the Second World War, Shirley Craven cites the rural Yorkshire landscape and her post-war education at Hull College of Art and the Royal College of Art (1955-8) as a launchpad to a hugely successful career at the printing firm Hull Traders.
Aged 29, Craven became Chief Designer and Director of this small and visionary firm whose artist-designers also included Althea McNish and Eduardo Paolozzi. The Whitworth is home to over 80 of Craven’s bold abstract textiles, displayed together for the first time in over 60 years alongside newly acquired unique works from her days as a Student at the RCA. 6 April – 11 May | Free entry with admission to the gallery.
7. Unpicking Couture, Manchester Art Gallery
Showcasing spectacular high-end fashion at Manchester Art Gallery, Unpicking Couture celebrates pioneering creativity and design from some of the most legendary designers in the world, past and present, all in one exhibition.
Created by influential designers and fashion houses, each outfit represents a groundbreaking moment in fashion and includes works by Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Azzedine Alaïa, Cristobal Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Bruce Oldfield and Alexander McQueen. Ends January 25, 2024 | Entry is free.
Cultural exhibitions in Manchester
8. Jane Jin Kaisen: ‘Halmang’, esea contemporary
Manchester’s esea contemporary presents internationally acclaimed artist and filmmaker Jane Jin Kaisen in her first UK solo show Halmang. Jane Jin Kaisen was born on the volcanic island of Jeju, fifty miles south of the Korean Peninsula’s coast. In this first UK solo exhibition of her work, Jane Jin Kaisen weaves oceanic cosmology and landscape together to explore how modernisation erodes memory and loss.
Featuring recent work Halmang (2023), the exhibition intricately connects the show’s location, Manchester’s former Victorian fish market, and the artist’s ancestral ties to Jeju island, where her mother and grandmother made a living as haenyeo sea divers harvesting seafood from the ocean. January 20 – April 21 | Free entry.
9. Diamonds in the Landscape, Clitheroe Castle Museum
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and is marking the occasion with a brand-new photography exhibition alongside its annual Dark Skies Festival. Covering 800 square kilometres of rural Lancashire and North Yorkshire, Bowland’s distinctive landscape of high open fells, rich green lowlands and steep, wooded cloughs was recognised as being amongst the finest in the country and given its official status in 1964.
These qualities are encapsulated in Diamonds in the Landscape; a special exhibition of 30 images, all of which were chosen from entries submitted to the Forest of Bowland photography competition during autumn 2023. From far-reaching moorland vistas and stunning wildlife shots to majestic woodlands and atmospheric pastoral scenes, the talented photographers have perfectly captured the variety and beauty of the Bowland landscape. February 10 – April 28 | From £4.10 on entry.
10. SEE MY WORLD: Lagos, Manchester & Me, Contact Theatre
SEE MY WORLD: Lagos, Manchester & Me, a short film exploring cultural and political conditions for artists in Lagos and Manchester, will premiere in three cities this month, Manchester, UK, Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. The Manchester premiere will take place at 6pm on Tuesday 26 March at CONTACT Manchester.
The illuminating film documents makers, thinkers and doers as they create, interpret and evolve their crafts. It journeys through a globe-trotting incubation experience for four artists, handpicked by Manchester’s art and culture organisations Big People Music (BPM) and Big People Community CIC (BPC) and The Book Buzz Foundation (BBF). At its heart, the centring of ideas from artists of the African diaspora, and a unique depiction of the beauty of two oddly connected cities. As much a memoir of the residency experience itself, as an education into the minds and creativity of Pan-African artists who make these cities pop. Premiere on Tuesday 26 March | Tickets here.
11. Northern Ireland: Living with the Troubles, Imperial War Museum North
Northern Ireland: Living with the Troubles (22 March 2024 – 29 September 2024) unpacks a complex chapter of our shared history, shining a light on the different narratives experienced by people who lived through the conflict within Northern Ireland and allowing them to share their version of events.
This free exhibition is IWM’s first on the subject and opens at IWM North following its inaugural and highly successful run at IWM London. First hand testimony and objects including a rubber bullet, propaganda posters and a Good Friday Agreement booklet will help visitors understand the multiple perspectives and human stories. Opens 22 March | Free entry.
12. In Which Language Do We Dream?, Gallery Oldham
A compelling new exhibition titled ‘In Which Language Do We Dream?’ is opening at Gallery Oldham, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of one Syrian family uprooted by war. Through intimate photographs and film, the exhibition provides an emotional look at the journey of the al-Hindawi family, who fled their home in Homs, Syria in 2012 due to the ongoing civil war. It explores their experiences living as displaced people in Lebanon and later resettling in East Yorkshire in 2017.
Co-created by photographer Rich Wiles and the al-Hindawi family over five years, the exhibition juxtaposes the family’s rescued old family photos with contemporary images capturing their journey and new life in the UK. It offers an intimate look at the human impact of displacement and hopes of rebuilding lives. Ends 11 May.
13. Trading Station: How Hot Drinks Shape Our Lives, Manchester Art Gallery
Hot drinks, once expensive luxuries for the few, have enriched our lives, promoted the exchange of ideas and influenced the design of our homes. Trading Station traces, revealing their global histories, connections to slavery and colonisation and contemporary ethical issues. Spanning four centuries and ranging from silver, porcelain, glass, fashion, lighting, prints and painting, this showcase of exquisite and utilitarian objects asks probing questions and uncovers hidden histories.
At the heart of Trading Station is a gathering space for visitors and groups to use freely. The space is designed to host making workshops, talks and performances to encourage new debate, thinking and action on how better to live together today. The gathering space has been shaped and co-designed by a group of 24 people from groups who regularly use the gallery, working with Manchester-based design studio Standard Practice to realise ideas. The space is open for all to gather and participate in, either in a programmed event or as a space to stop, reflect and take stock. Ends 31 January 2025 | Free entry.
14. We Have Always Been Here, John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Explore stories of identity in The University of Manchester Library collections, telling surprising and complicated stories that wrestle with the idea of identity. Who gets to decide how we are represented? Many people’s histories in the Library have been overlooked but they have always been here.
The stories in this exhibition examine self-representation, identity politics and community solidarity. This exhibition is a starting point. It is a commitment to show that this Library is for and about everyone. It includes a newly-commissioned poem by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan reflecting on how identities are represented in the archive; photographs, flyers and maps exploring Manchester Carnival in the 1970s, 80s and 90s; and letters and books by members of the LGBTQ+ family including Eleanor Butler, Wilfred Owen and Frances Power Cobbe. Ends 13 July | Free entry.
Historical exhibitions in Manchester
15. People’s History Museum
Manchester’s People’s History Museum is the UK’s only museum entirely dedicated to sharing the stories of the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters and citizens who strive(d) for change. We recommend checking out the entire collection at PHM as it’s ever-growing and truly fascinating. From suffragette banners and badges, to political posters and artwork, the PHM tracks the political and community history of Manchester, focusing on those who have, and still, fight for justice and equality.
Leading a spectacular and colourful charge through history the 2024 Banner Exhibition will be opening at People’s History Museum on Thursday 1 February 2024 (until 30 December 2024). Historical anniversaries, political movements, international causes and campaigns for change are amongst the inspiring stories carried by the banners; banners commissioned and created by renowned banner makers, to those born out of community collaboration. 2024 is a particularly important year in the history of the mining industry, with 50 years having passed since the successful strike of 1974 and 40 years since the major strike of 1984 to 1985, which will be represented in the exhibition. Exhibition durations differ | Free entry – donation encouraged.
16. Lily Parr display, National Football Museum
Lily Parr – one of football’s first female superstars – gets a new permanent museum display dedicated to her life and legacy. It features never-seen-before photographs of Lily and her teammates – which were found in an old suitcase hidden in a loft for four decades. Emerging in the 1920s as part of Preston’s Dick Kerr Ladies, Parr scored nearly 1000 goals in a three-decade career. She played in some of the world’s first women’s international matches and was a trailblazer for women footballers the world over. Permanent exhibition | Entry is free.
17. At Home with the Pankhurst Family, Pankhurst Centre
Ever since No.62 Nelson Street was saved from demolition in the 1980s, the Pankhurst Centre has endeavoured to protect and preserve this important historical building and ensure the story of Emmeline Pankhurst is told to inspire and motivate the next generation of radical activists. This engaging and immersive exhibition explores the extraordinary achievements of the Pankhurst Family in the house where they lived and where the very first meeting of the Women’s Social & Political Union took place in 1903. Permanent exhibition | Entry is free – book your slot here.
18. Infamous: Opium, Silk, Tea and the Mission, The Portico Library
This exhibition on British trade (including trade wars) with China in the nineteenth century will showcase some of The Portico Library’s key historic books on voyages to China as well as objects illustrating the trade in silk, opium and tea. From descriptions of botany, the stealing of plant samples and trade secrets in silk manufacture to descriptions of China and people in East Asia, Infamous explores a key and difficult period in the relationship between the two nations.
This exhibition considers the influence of the industrial revolution and the trading power of Manchester in the often violent struggle to access the markets in China. Infamous considers why tea, opium and silk were so lucrative and important to the expansion of the British Empire and the factories in Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire. The exhibition will also display a curated selection of lantern slides of missionary activity in China that not much is known about, giving a visual window into the role of missionaries, many of whom worked against the opium trade. February 1 – June 8 | Free entry.
Immersive exhibitions in Manchester
19. Operation Ouch!: Food, Poo and You, Science and Industry Museum
From the brains behind CBBC hit Operation Ouch!, immersive exhibition Food, Poo and You is truly for the whole family, providing interactive education on the digestive system and human biology. It promises plenty of giggle-worthy grossness, from exploring a set of super-sized gnashers, to slipping down the oesophagus and investigating the innerworkings of the intestines.
Continuing at the Museum of Science and Industry Manchester until summer 2024, Food, Poo and You sees visitors sent on a special mission to get up close and, in one case, extremely personal, with presenters Dr Chris, Dr Xand and Dr Ronx as they are shrunk, swallowed, squeezed through and spat out of Dr Xand’s digestive system during a lively, interactive and playful adventure to better understand our brilliant bodies. Ends June 2024 | Tickets from £9.
20. Di Mainstone: Emotional Biodiversity, Stockport Creative Campus
Building on Di Mainstone’s international reputation for innovative and accessible art installations and her ongoing quest to emphasise the importance of ecological issues, her Stockport commission ‘Emotional Biodiversity’, will invite us to examine our emotional and neurological response to biodiversity loss, through the lens of soil.
Drawing on her passion for community collaboration, this spring will see Di co-design and deliver a series of creative engagement workshops for a diverse range of communities from across Stockport. Workshop participants will be invited to explore their emotional connection to the landscape and biodiversity of Stockport, in a way that feels current, accessible, and fun. Ends 21 April | Free entry.
21. Batteries Not Included, National Football Museum
Batteries Not Included explores the history and development of football toys and games, their remarkable influence on our lives and understanding of the beautiful game. Our Score Gallery exhibition takes visitors on an immersive journey, from the Victorian era through to the latest cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology, reflecting the cultural influences of each decade and how play technology is now adopted across the professional game.
Best of all, visitors of all ages can get hands-on with a range of football toys and games, taking you on an exciting exploration of play between the real and virtual worlds. Batteries Not Included features no fewer than 17 interactive games and exhibits, including updated takes on classic pastimes, a broad range of arcade video games – and, of course, Subbuteo. Ends 21 April | Free entry.
22. Power Up, Science and Industry Museum
Play the very best video games from the past five decades and try out over a hundred different consoles in this ultimate hands-on gaming experience. There’s something for everyone, from Pong to Pacman, Sonic to Street Fighter and Mario to Minecraft, plus a selection of games created in Manchester.
Face off against friends and families in multiplayer showdowns, rediscover your childhood favourites and test out some of the latest virtual reality experiences. Game on! Find tickets here. Starts 23 March | Tickets £8.