A summer of art in Manchester

With Easter fast approaching, and the end of this semester in sight, it won’t be long before the dawning of a long, hot summer. Granted, sun is unlikely in this rain-burdened city, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to look forward to in Manchester over the summer months. Of all the upcoming art works that have been announced across Manchester, there are three that are particularly exciting.

MIF17: True Faith at Manchester Art Gallery, 30 June–3 September 2017

Lead exhibition of Manchester’s International Festival 2017, True Faith is a collection of works by some of the world’s most notable artists. The exhibition surrounds the ongoing relevance of the Manchester based bands New Order and Joy Division by displaying a plethora of art inspired by their work.

Curated by Matthew Higgs and Jon Savage with archivist Johan Kugelberg, True Faith is centred on four decades’ worth of extraordinary contemporary works from contemporary artists such as Julian Schnabel, Jeremy Deller, Liam Gillick, Mark Leckey, Martin Boyce and Slater B Bradley, all directly inspired by the two groups.

Also featuring Peter Saville’s seminal cover designs, plus performance films, music videos and posters from the likes of John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger, Lawrence Weiner, Jonathan Demme, Robert Longo and Kathryn Bigelow, True Faith provides a unique perspective on these two most iconic and influential Manchester bands.

IRIS at The Lowry, 26 May – 16 July 2017

For a limited time only, audiences at The Lowry will have the opportunity to experience an unusual and innovative art installation. The venue’s Lyric Theatre will be taken over by a visually stunning feast of light, sound, colour and technology from UK artists Marshmallow Laser Feast.

This unique digital art installation will only be available before select theatre performances. Created using the latest in robotic and laser technology, IRIS promises to be an experience unlike anything we’ve previously encountered.

No End to Enderby at The Whitworth Art Gallery, 30 June – 17 September 2017

To mark the 100th birthday of Manchester-born Anthony Burgess this year, artist Stephen Sutcliffe and theatre director Graham Eatough collaborate to explore the writer’s series of Enderby novels in a new film, No End to Enderby.

This ambitious commission draws together Graham Eatough’s ongoing exploration of theatricality in the creation of meaning in contemporary culture with Stephen Sutcliffe’s interest in British literary and popular culture of the 1960s and 70s and his preoccupation with the self-doubt of the artist.

A summer of new Game of Thrones and amazing new art? We are spoiled.