#manchesteropen

On the 10th February, we took a trip to Manchester to visit galleries and exhibitions, specifically: HOME, PINK and Manchester Art Gallery. We spent most of the day there and I really enjoyed it, my favourite being HOME as it included so many different styles of art.

The exhibition at HOME was to celebrate the Manchester Open Exhibition, the first one being in July 1880. The Open is to celebrate the amazing talent within Manchester, and in 2020, the Open saw over 33000 visitors and 543 artworks by 451 artists. This one was the first region-wide exhibit to encourage entries from artists coming from any background, from new artists to professionals.

This year’s Manchester Open welcomed a multitude of artwork, such as: prints, videos, photography, paintings, sculpture, media, spoken word and performance and included 2271 entries which the judges were very impressed with. 474 artworks made it into the Open, from 446 artists across Manchester and from a shortlist of 20 artists, 5 will receive a Manchester Open Award. Many of the artworks are for sale and the proceeds go straight to the artist while a small portion goes to HOME.

Awards

The 5 winners receive an artist development package that helps guide them in their practice and over £10000 of prize funding will be given to the local artists, with a single artist conducting a solo exhibition at HOME.

The People’s Choice Award is actually voted by us within the first weeks of the exhibit and the artist with the most votes win. I voted for Golem II by Iain Andrews as I loved how strange and almost disgusting the piece appears. I also enjoyed the 3D aspects of the painting which I believe are lips, possibly flowers; it added a new and interesting part to view. Andrews is interested in how stories are re-told and re-imagined, and how the retelling embellished on the originals (HOME pamphlet, p5).

The nominated artists are broken down into 5 categories:

·       Granada Foundation Gallery Exhibition

·       Castlefield Gallery: Artist Professional Development Award 1

·       Castlefield Gallery: Artist Professional Development Award 2

·       Castlefield Gallery: Artist Professional Development Award: Aged 50+

·       People’s Choice

My Favourites

I was instantly taken by Jude Wainwright’s Insignificant, as I love antique jewellery however I also liked the contemporary twist with the inclusion of a self-portrait. Even though the piece is so tiny, the amount of detail included in the painting is breath-taking; you can see every shadow, highlight, skin tone and even freckles. Even the way that the necklace chain itself was hung was so meticulously placed and thought out. I thought the amount of work and detail put into such a small piece was incredible to see and appreciate. This piece was not up for sale.

At first glance, I thought Isolation by Carlos Ferg was a photograph however, it is in fact a painting. The amount of detail within the water is unbelievable, you can see every ripple and reflection; the piece would work if placed upside down. On the bricks and doors, we can see the way they have deteriorated over time and that is amazing that the artist managed to include such minute details. This piece can be bought for £1500.

In The Flames by Steve Williams was the first sculpture that I saw at the exhibition and usually I am not the biggest fan of sculpture work however, I liked this one. I liked the combination of earth and fire, not only the materials but the colours as well. It seems as though the earth is supporting and holding up the fire and they are becoming one. This work cannot be bought.

I was surprised to see paper sculpture included in the exhibition and I was very glad to find it, Paper Samurai by Luke Armstrong. The colour scheme is so peaceful and the entire piece just radiates beauty. It is small but that is expected with the amount of work that has to go into a piece like this: cutting the paper, curling it and modelling it. This piece is for sale for £500.

Another favourite of mine was Captain Sir Tom Moore by Simon Scott as I thought it was just a nice and touching painting to include in the Open and a lovely tribute.

This was an incredible exhibition as it allowed artists, no matter how professional or amateur, to showcase their talents no matter medium they are in. It was an exciting mass of work to see in person. It kind of inspired me in a way due to the amount of amazing work and opened my mind even more to the world of contemporary art.