Not only do these exhibitions give regular opportunities for works from the collection to be on display, but the series also enables these works to be seen in new and interesting ways.

Grundy Curator, Paulette Brien said: 

Join us for the first day of Grundy’s spring season on 15 April 10.00am to 4.00pm and in addition to viewing the Collections visitors can experience a performance of The Drip by Amalia Pica. (More details below).​​​​​​​

Collection spotlight: New Things

15 April to 10 June 2023

Echoing the spirit of the season, spring at Grundy Art Gallery is always a time to celebrate the new - new artists, new ideas and new artworks.

New Things is an exhibition that brings together new artworks that the Grundy has acquired into the Collection during the last 5 years. All created within the last decade, these 40+ artworks by 25 different artists include drawing, sculpture, video, installation and performance and demonstrate the many different ways in which contemporary artists use art to investigate and reflect upon the times in which we live.

From work that celebrates the enduring charm of Blackpool Illuminations to work that explores the experience of COVID-19; from Turner Prize winning artists to artists still early in their careers, New Things demonstrates the Grundy’s proactive and multi-layered collecting policy in action.

Collection spotlight: Still Life

15 April to 10 June 2023

The term Still-life appears throughout art history where it is often used to describe an artwork that depicts inanimate and often commonplace objects. Regularly featuring foodstuffs such as fruit, cheese and bread alongside household items such as drinking glasses, vases, cooking pots and flowers, Still-life is used not only to celebrate and draw attention to the stuff of everyday, but is also used symbolically to send messages about status, society, and the universal truths of life and death.

Including works on loan from Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Touchstones Rochdale and the University of Salford Art Collection, this exhibition sees historical works brought into dialogue with contemporary examples that reference, subvert and reimagine Still-life. In doing so, the exhibition not only underlines the enduring appeal of Still Life as an approach to making art, but shows how it is also still relevant as a site of investigation for artists of today.

Season launch day

Special event: 15 April 10.00am to 4.00pm – Spring Season Launch Day with special performances of The Drip by Amalia Pica on International Slow Art Day. All welcome

Join us for the first day of Grundy’s spring season which launches on International Slow Art Day: a global event with a simple belief that if people can take their time and slow down their experience of looking they will make more discoveries.

Drop in during the day and, in addition to viewing the 50+ artworks on display, you can

experience a performance of The Drip by Amalia Pica, a work that was acquired into the

Grundy collection in 2022. The Drip is a durational performance that as the artist explains is about “treating joy as something too precious to spend all at once”.

The Drip was acquired by Grundy Art Gallery with funding from Art Fund and was part of the project Performance Exchange curated by Rose Lejeune.

Forecourt commission

Fiona Grady: Illuminated From Within

Extended Until further notice

With the lighter, brighter and longer days of spring upon us, Grundy has extended the display of Fiona Grady’s Illuminated from Within until further notice. Through her use of light, colour, surface and scale, the artist’s colourful geometric artwork transforms the setting of Grundy’s forecourt. Activated by changes in the direction and intensity of daylight Illuminated from Within quietly marks the passing of time whilst also providing a dynamic contribution to Grundy’s 2023 spring programme.

Workshops/events: Free, but booking required: 01253 478170

Half term activities

31 May/1 June/2 June

10.00am to 12 noon. Drop in and enjoy some Still life themed activities.

Suitable for Ages 8+ years.

All children must be accompanied