Caleb White

★   ★   ★  ★  ★   As part of 20/20 project, Manchester Art Gallery is displaying Holly Graham's artwork/exhibition 'The Warp/ The Weft/ The Wake' until March 2026. It explores the legacy of colonialism and labour exploitation in the cotton industry, central to Manchester, and to the founding of The Royal Manchester Institute - which would later become the Manchester Art Gallery itself. Both Graham's final product, and the surrounding contextual archival material, are a resounding success - a shining example of explaining an artpiece in a way that doesn't reduce, but deepens the experience.  It a Tuesday. This is the third attempt at taking notes on this exhibition. On the opening day, I had just finished a shift at my new coffee shop, and - seeing the room packed with visitors - decided against taking photos and notes, blocking the view of others. Yesterday, also after a shift, I tried again, forgetting the 'closed-on-monday' sector wide rule. But today I a...

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ After touring London and Edinburgh since 2023, Women in Revolt! – curated by Lindsey Young - arrives in Manchester at the Whitworth. This is the first time the exhibition has been free of charge.     Originally I had planned to visit Women in Revolt! with a friend, but the plans fell through, so here I am, camera in hand, back in the Whitworth. Living so close to the venue, I walk through Whitworth Park – it is a beautiful day – and take the back entrance into the gallery. I only mention this because one of the first things I encounter is a slice of text informing me that this is room 5 of 7, and that I should instead start from the entrance in the Special Collection’s Gallery. So, rather than interrupt the pre-determined flow, I track round and begin the exhibition again. By indicating a correct path, the gallery signals that this is – counter to my expectations – a social history exhibition through the lens of artists and their artworks. And this is i...

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Last week we explored the first floor of the People’s History Museum in Manchester. This week, the second floor. It is still cold outside, and I am still writing from the Museum’s café. My coffee has grown cold, and I am wondering if I am going to make it to my second potential visit, or whether I best call it quits and head back home. It is supposed to snow again tonight, and I’m quite tempted by the loaf of bread, freshly baked this morning, waiting for me back home – that is, unless my housemates have already devoured it. Who’s to say.    Image via Manchester Evening News  However, for now, I am still in the People’s History Museum. After being thoroughly impressed by their first gallery, I now turn to their second. Walking further up the stairs – which look out on a rather glum, albeit contemplative, view of the River Irwell – the  entranceway is much the same. The same explanation of colour is printed here, again alongsi...

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ It is snowing. I spend the morning baking a loaf of bread. Leaving it to cool I decide to spend the day visiting some Manchester museums I have not yet visited. The walk over is cold, the closer I get to the city centre, the less snow there is on the ground until, walking through Spinningfields, there is little more than a trace of slush. Image via People's History Museum Weather notwithstanding, the first port of call is the People’s History Museum. I am writing this from their café. The entrance hall is oddly municipal, and the flat grey light from outside makes the space feel rather sparse. There were, however, plenty of people within the museum itself. I plan to split this review into two posts. The entire museum is split into three gallery spaces – the third of which being a collaborative make space. Leaving two galleries to explore. This post considers the first. The floors are split chronologically, Gallery One focussing on pre-1945. Now, the People’s Hist...