Featured image and photography: Anna Klekot
The Bound Art Book Fair returned to The Whitworth art gallery this month, featuring over 65 exhibitors showcasing a range of creative work including zines, books and posters.
The gallery was filled with independent publishers and artists showcasing creative projects, and featured free artist talks open to the public, including Indian-born Canadian photographer Sunil Gupta and ‘Sports Banger’, a British fashion collective made by Jonny Banger.
The programme harmonised with the main Whitworth exhibition titled ‘(Un)Defining Queer’, which examines how we can use a queer lens to define what the term ‘queer’ means.
Manchester School of Art presented a collective stall at the event, featuring an assortment of art, ranging from zines to handmade coasters. Their stall included work made by photographers and artists and incorporated a playful picnic design and an ‘artist menu’ to introduce the exhibiting artists.
The collection aimed to “strike a balance between covering complex themes of identity, community, philosophy and queerness with a playful exploration of bookbinding and risograph prints”.
At the top of this mountain the foxes still roam
Recent Manchester Met photography graduates Elliott Howard and Joe Flynn were among the self-published artists at the Fair. Their collective presented a project titled ‘At the top of this mountain the foxes still roam’, which focuses on their individual artistic development after graduating university this year.
Joe, a Welsh artist based in Manchester, said: “My work focuses on youth culture through contemporary design, film photography and narrative storytelling.”
Reflecting his own experiences in the city, Joe creates a narrative in the form of zines: “I always worried that I would not have one single image that would stand out. I decided to work in the zine medium as it allows you to take 20-30 photos that may not be the strongest and create one body of work that stands out.”
Elliott, who born in Manchester but grew up in Spain, discussed how his upbringing translates into his work, which is highly focused on exploring identity and culture.
Elliott explained how portraiture, paired with landscape and text, are two prominent ways in which creates work. “This varies from social documentary to tongue-in-cheek football culture,” he said.
“For me, a lot of that has looked at simply the things that I’ve done since I’ve left university, be that going on holiday, creating work from there. A big piece of it [involved] looking at the people who I’ve spent a lot of time with since leaving university.”
For more from The Whitworth check out their events calendar and follow @whitworthart.
Featured image and gallery: Truck Festival For almost thirty years, set within the rolling fields of Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire, Truck Festival has been a cornerstone of the British festival calendar. Dubbed the ‘godfather of the UK’s small festival scene’, the festival continues to live up to that title, with a line-up packed with…
Featured image: American Football – American Football album artwork The debut album has long been treated as a baptism of fire for artists – the deciding factor that determines whether a band will ‘make it’ or not. Some debuts set the tone for what follows: Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra come to the Palace Theatre in Manchester to celebrate the release of their new album, Night Blooms. Liverpool-based Brooke Combe opens the evening with a stripped-back set alongside her guitarist, her soulful vocals instantly captivating the crowd. Blending heartfelt performances with quick-witted…
Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch Three decades after they first emerged in Manchester, Take That return home to the Etihad Stadium and deliver an unforgettable show, combining circus theatrics and crowd-pleasing hits from across their catalogue. Formed in 1990, the group have released multiple chart-topping albums and embarked on numerous world tours, including 2009’s…
Leave a reply