Reviews

Events

Inua Ellams' The 14th Tale

by Robbie Wojciechowski

“I am from a long line of trouble makers” rattles Inua Ellams from the centre of the reclusive Tara Theatre, Earlsfield, stopping the audience dead in their conversations. Unaware we’re about to be blessed with a warming tale of love, anger, mischief and danger. [read more]

Edward II – The Royal Exchange Theatre

by Miz DeShannon

Having a bit of a fascination for Mediaeval history, I was intrigued to see how Marlowe's version of events surrounding Edward II panned out. The whimsical, artistically led King was duty bound to follow the legacy of his father Edward 'Longshanks' I, 'Hammer Of The Scots', a great reformer and warrior, conqueror of Wales and leader of the crusades. Quite a huge set of footsteps to follow in for any man, especially one with no fancy for such things and more of an interest in music and the arts. [read more]

Joan Miro – Tate Modern: 14 April – 11 September 2011

by Christine Cant

I can only ever contemplate people, exhibitions, places, once I’ve left. So it took me ages to compose this account of the Joan Miro exhibition at the Tate Modern. Weekdays are the best days to go and see an exhibition I think. Fewer crowds, less noise, sometimes more noise actually, because you can hear every word that people are saying around you. But they are a heck of a lot less stressful in general. This exhibition, on til September by the by diehard fans and novices alike, was seriou... [read more]

Grayson Perry - Visual Dialogues

by Tania Moore

'No More Art' plastered across a sizeable vase immediately confronts the viewer when coming up the stairs to approach the current Grayson Perry exhibition at Manchester Gallery. Challenging declarations such as this resonate across Perry's oeuvre and set the tone for the rest of the display. It is rare to come across the opinion that there is too much art in the world, particularly in an established art institution like the Manchester Gallery. Perry is known for drawing on very contemporary a... [read more]

I Will Eat This Sleepy Town: Marcin Dudek and Ben Washington

by Christine Cant

A long day at work didn't help, but sleepy I was when I arrived at Waterside Project Space and sleepy I was when I left. Stimulation for body, nil. Stimulation for mind, double nil. Stimulation for fashion savvy lobe of brain, one. (That's a good score!) Genuinely, everyone looked very nice! The title for this exhibition in the Angel area of the big smoke, is 'I Will Eat this Sleepy Town' and this certainly sounds intriguing but you never know what to expect when you visit an art exhibit... [read more]

Lee Machell - Drawings and Matches

by Tania Moore

The Untitled Gallery is tucked away in a discreet part of the centre of Manchester. The entrance, a small door on the side of a dominating building, proved to be quite hard to find. What it demonstrates, however, is that often the most interesting work is found in unexpected places. I went to see the current show, by Lee Machell, entitled Drawings and Matches. Upon approach, the work seems timid; intricate works on white paper are subtle in the small, white room but they truly radiate with be... [read more]

Krysko & Kashiwagi // In The Mix

by Tania Moore

Listening to talented DJs play is always exciting, but when the mixing involves visuals too, it becomes an altogether more electrifying experience. The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester presented such a display on Saturday, 13th November. DJs Krysko and Kashiwagi, and Super Furry Animalsâ Huw Bunford created a completely original experience, mixing sounds from turntables, gramophones and everyday sounds from the Whitworth itself. Imagery was created from well-known artwork, from the galleryâs... [read more]

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Recorders @ Manchester Art Gallery

by Miz DeShannon

Recorders feels like a taster exhibition for two reasons; it only has a handful of works, albeit incredibly complex and time consuming to curate, and also because once you learn about Mexican-Canadian electronic artist Lozano-Hemmer you realise it doesnât really show off the magnitude of some of his work. He has numerous giant scale projects such as â1,000 Platitudesâ (photomontage and video splashed across shopping malls, tower blocks etc), âBody Moviesâ (a complex projection proje... [read more]
Andrea Hasler: Full Fat or Semi-Skinned?

by Lauren Down

Andrea Haslerâs installation presents a radical intrusion into the audienceâs space as the artist confronts her own feelings of attraction and repulsion through the abjection of the female body and breast milk. Central to the installation stands a hospital trolley that appears to be the basis for an organic-based contraption. On the lower level of the machine lies a repulsive, lumpy and seemingly oozing organ from which the breasts of the machine seem to feed. Despite the initial repu... [read more]

David Gledhill and Corin Sworn @ Castlefield Gallery

by Tania Moore

The Castlefield gallery presents an interesting body of work by David Gledhill and Corin Sworn in its current two-person show. At first the connection between the artists is unclear due to their very different subject matter and media, but the starting points for each project bear remarkable similarities. Both artists invite us to contemplate the personal imagery found in a family album and a set of slides respectively. David Gledhill discovered the album that became the inspiration for his p... [read more]

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