Visual Arts & Exhibitions

Experimental contemporary arts facilitator UNIT is to present an exhibition, Classic Man, by emerging artist Steven Wilson. In Classic Man, Wilson presents a collection of works which use sound, video and sculpture to raise questions of what people are really looking for in material objects of desire. If not the objects themselves, then what do they represent to their seekers? Using such techniques as pitching and stretching audio and recutting video clips sourced from popular culture and advertising, Wilson creates audio-visual works that deconstruct the symbols and aesthetics of capitalism. He uses this to suggest the deeper human longings and desires…

Blackpool's annual celebration of urban art Sand, Sea & Spray is set to be back in town this summer after securing £15,000 from Arts Council England. The festival, which is to take place over the weekend 29 to 31 July is now in it's 4th year and is once again planning to attract some of the world's finest street artists alongside homegrown talent to create an array of new artwork. Already confirmed for the line-up are Blackpool based artsits Famous 415, Secaone and Infected by Design who all took part in last year's festival. On the international front organisers have…

At the weekend the Grundy Art Gallery opened the doors on its much-anticipated latest exhibition. In case you’ve missed the buzz surrounding it, the new show is by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey and explores Leckey’s enduring fascination with Felix the Cat. Entitled This Kolossal Kat, That Massive MOG, the exhibition comprises various depictions of Felix-whose image was, in 1928, the first ever to be broadcast, making Felix arguably the very first TV star. The exhibition includes the now-famous Inflatable Felix (2013), as well as earlier pieces such as Flix (2008), a 16mm film animation of Felix’s tail. Visitors to…

Heartfelt writing by Desmond Hue a previously homeless Jobs, Friends and Houses apprentice, and images captured by Izzy Durose, a young photographer, have inspired a unique one-day exhibition at The Winter Gardens, Blackpool on Saturday 30 April which aims to raise awareness about homelessness. Desmond shared his insights to his past life, which was blighted by addiction, criminality and homelessness, on his Facebook page as part of his recovery. Today he has spent more than 18-months abstinent from drugs. Desmond, is one of fourteen JFH team members. He is now employed full-time, living in a property that he helped to…

Blott Artist Studio presents local artist Tina Warren's first solo exhibition. A Still Small Voice is a multidisciplinary show grounded in the tradition of figurative narrative painting, dealing with difficult and challenging subject matter in its literal and metaphorical interpretation. Tina, winner of the ‘Great Art’ prize at the Neo Art Prize 2015, graduated from Blackpool & The Fylde College University Centre with BA in Fine Art & Professional Practice in 2013, later going on to gain her MA in Art by Research at Lancaster University. Tina's work is evocative and menacing at the same time. Her illustrative techniques are impressive…

Abingdon Studios is set to host a series of visiting artists from as far as Berlin and Canada in a new programme this month entitled WORK/LEISURE. The programme will see artists taking up residency in Blackpool for up to one month, giving new opportunities for art production in the town and supporting the development of skills for artists already based here.  The programme attracted applications from sixty six artists from across the UK and Europe and promises to bring even more diverse and exciting talent into Blackpool. Abingdon Studios is located right above the historic Abingdon Street Market, you may…

Blott Art Studios in Blackpool, UK, established for since 2000 and based in the heart of Blackpool and run by the passionate and proactive Corrine Streetly. Their latest exhibition entitled Be The Banana Skin (On The Patriarchy's Complacent Stroll) is a ‘Feminist Art’ intervention based in Blackpool, North West, UK, opened to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8th and running until 31st March. I try not think about being a woman or feminism a great deal, I think I try to ignore being a female where I can, ignoring the limitations and labels society sometimes places on me,…

This Friday sees the opening of a new collaborative exhibition entitled In Deference at Blackpool's Abingdon Studios from 6pm onwards. Artist Jayne Simpson has worked in collaboration with photographer Claire Griffiths to develop a series of images, installations and video pieces that investigate time, space and a sense of place through evidence gathering and reflecting on memories exploratory of an ever changing urban landscape. Many of the imagery is Blackpool specific and gathered through an ongoing collaboration exploring undiscovered spaces within the towns many empty and abandoned habitats; some of which may never have been seen in their current state.…

This Sunday, 8th November from 2pm -5pm, The Mount Pavilion, Fleetwood, plays host to an exhibition of photographs taken by children and young people at this year’s Tram Sunday event. The young people were commissioned by LeftCoast and supported by professional photographers, Claire Griffiths and Jill Reidy. This was part of their Whippersnappers project, which aimed to give aspiring young photographers the chance to find out what it takes to get the perfect picture.The exhibition will include highlights from the day, which brings together the traditional heritage transport exhibits and now, thanks to LeftCoast, Wyre Council and Arts Council England,…