Manchester’s Latest Land of Art

As an avid art fan, I am always saddened by the dearth of galleries and new material in my home town of Manchester.

The Manchester Art Gallery’s resting collection is wonderful and weaves seamlessly together with the history of the city. However its exhibitions are few and far between – plus when they do arrive, they are often rather short and lacking in material which engages the voyeur for a long time. Its exhibition space on the top floor, is surprisingly small and limiting. Same goes for the Whitworth Art Gallery on the outskirts of town – except its exhibition space seems to be roomier.

Having now lived in London for the last two years, it’s a stark comparison to draw - however wonders never cease because this weekend when we were back up north, we discovered a new art gallery called Artlands. Shock, horror, something new for art lovers in Manchester? Surely I must be dreaming?!

I say we – my boyfriend actually discovered this hidden gem. He was probably so bored of the two galleries I always drag him around, he felt he had to find his own salvation. Buried in the basement of the Friend’s Meeting house, next to the city’s Central Library, are two corridors which make up this space and feature some bold work.

We saw a photography exhibition called “The Space Between” by award-winning and German-born photographer Christoph Bangert. He was commissioned by the New York Times to spend time in Iraq in 2005 and capture life over a period of nine months.

The results are powerful. I thought from the ads, it would be a look at the prettier parts of Iraq – the landscape and culture – but I was wrong. It starts with some beauty – but the space in between takes over. A wall panel explains this space consists of that void between two cultures, the void of war, of peace, of two lives…. And so on.

Hence Bangert pulls no punches and smacks you in the face with the reality of those harmful voids.

Get ready – Artlands is finally going to serve something exciting to those famished Manchester art enthusiasts. We hope. But typically, like all new and exciting ventures, its banished underground and smells a little. However the piano rehearsals going on elsewhere in the versatile building add a welcome cultural soundtrack to the artistic bunker experience.

Check it out.

(photographs copywrighted by Bangert)