Manchester Art Scene Enriched with New African Gallery

Famed for its eclectic art scene, Manchester adds the vibrancy of contemporary West African art to its cultural offering with the opening of Chuck Gallery – the city’s only Art Gallery dedicated to the promotion of modern African art and the only gallery of its kind outside of London.

MANCHESTER, MAN – Manchester is regarded as the ‘Creative Capital of the North’, having developed a reputation for itself as an exciting city to experience art based on its rich cultural diversity. From historic collections at the Manchester Art Gallery, to contemporary Chinese exhibitions at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, and progressive installations at the Artzu Gallery the city has a lot to offer to the art enthusiast, plus much more besides. Art from cultures around the world have found permanent residency in Manchester’s many galleries over the years yet African Art has remained a temporary visitor with only one-off exhibitions from time to time, that is until now and the opening of Chuck Gallery.

Chuck Gallery is a privately opened art space based at 166 Plymouth Grove in Longsight. The gallery first opened its doors to the public in January 2016 with a solo exhibition called ‘Exuberance, Forms and the Notion of Self’ featuring famous Nigerian contemporary artist, Fidel Oyiogu. Not content with only introducing established artists to the Manchester community, Chuck Gallery is also committed to discovering emerging talent and providing a platform for unknown artists to connect with the wider public. As was the case in the galleries most recent exhibition, ‘Intransigence’, which featured the paintings sculptors of two upcoming Nigerian artists Okey Ibeabuchi and Joel Utuedor.

The gallery’s founder, Chukwudi Onwudiwe, is a well-known art dealer in Lagos, Nigeria with a wealth of experience trading art in the African market. When asked why he decided to establish a gallery of this kind in Manchester, a far cry from Lagos, he said:

“Manchester has its own, unique, edgy features. It is an alternative capital (to London) with its own culture and history. There’s an interesting African demographic in Manchester that appreciates art but the city is also interested in many cultures. This gallery presents another angle to that interest.”

“Our Gallery is not just a space to display nice art but is a venue that allows artists to feature a body of work and show their stylistic progress over time. Additionally, the gallery creates access to people who are interested in art and open to creativity of any kind.”

Vinejuice – http://www.vinejuice.co.uk/manchester-art-scene-enriched-with-new-african-gallery/

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    Gina Henrie says

    I’ve been looking into getting into visiting art galleries with my husband but not sure how to go about it. I like what you said about how you said that Manchester is regarded as the Creative Capital of the North, this is good to know thanks for sharing!

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