Exhibition

Conversations Series III: Narratives

Art gallery with various free standing artworks.

Projected film screen on a gallery wall, showing a man singing, alongside a cardboard juke box.

Three racks of colourful fancy dress costume stacked on top of each other on a gallery wall.

Artwork presented on embroidery stand next to hung textile piece in gallery setting.

Narratives description on gallery entrance wall.

Black and white illustrations on a gallery wall.

Conversations Series III: Narratives at The Lowry is the culmination of a summer 2022 residency that brought together 12 artists at Venture Arts, some from our studio and some who responded to an open call, to develop shared ideas and create new art work:

Omid Asadi, Jennie Franklin, Parham Ghalamdar, Jackie Haynes, Sarah Lee, Horace Lindezey, Millie Loveday, Deborah Makinde, Laura Nathan, Dominic Pillai, Merida Richards and Leslie Thompson.

Each of the artists is from Greater Manchester and collectively they explored personal histories, cultural heritage and stories. Through their exploration they found connections between themselves. A collaborative approach to making art has been at the core of this 20-week residency, which has expanded and involved more artists along the way as the project evolved.

The artists have taken inspiration from the overwhelming style and character of the club in which the residency was run in Whalley Range, Manchester, as well as huge comedy, reggae and supper club influences of group idols such as Sid James, Sparrow Martin, & Julie London. Expect a unique show with big art, music, TV specials and it’s very own Beaver Bar.

The Narratives residency and exhibition are the third part of our pioneering Conversations Series, which was first established back in 2016, as a programme of artistic projects and residencies, delivered by Venture Arts, aimed at creating new work in a shared exchange of art and ideas. The programme develops collaborative, reciprocal learning and creative exchanges between our studio artists and artists who have responded to an open call. Through this, it is hoped that open conversations and new dialogues about the role of art in contemporary society will be generated.

Narratives is part of the Lowry’s EDIT series, a strand of their exhibitions programming that enables artists and performers to develop previously unexplored ideas in a gallery setting. Its short-term format allows for ambitious presentations of work, often participatory and engaging with new audiences.

Narratives is part of the Explorers Project, a dynamic collaborative programme of art and action that opens up routes into artistic practice for neurominorities, dismantling attitudinal and systemic barriers to representation and rights in art and society. Explorers is led by Project Art Works.

Narratives is a partnership project between Venture Arts, Castlefield Gallery and The Lowry, with support from associates Ahmed Ullah Iqbal Race Relations Centre, Manchester Jewish Museum, Manchester Museum & Explorers Project.