Level one

How manga took over the world

13 March – 21 Sept 

 This exhibition explores the art of Manga in its many guises, tracing the journey from its early origins to its many modern day manifestations.

more information

 Level two

Urban Gardening

26 April - 7 Sept 2008  

Urbis brings gardening to the gallery! This exhibition will encourage visitors to jump in feet first and not be afraid to roll up their sleeves
and get back to some good old-fashioned – and now über stylish– gardening. No space is too small for creating a garden so come and be inspired to green your city. More Information

Level three

Matthew Williamson: Ten Years in Fashion

27 March - 21 Sept

This exciting exhibition will present his most iconic designs and will deconstruct the process behind his work, illuminating his distinctive use of pattern, print and colour.

More Information

 Coming soon

emory douglas

30 Oct – March 09

Level 1

In the run up to the Beijing Olympics,find out how Emory Douglas, first and only Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party turned the Black Power Salute (of the Mexican Olympics of 1968) into a powerful emblem of equality.

 More information

The Best of Manchester

Art, music, fashion

But look out for the exhibition which will showcase the work of those shortlisted to win the Best of Manchester crown in art, music and fashion. We'll share more news on the exhibition as soon as the shortlist is announced in late July. More information.

My First Pride

1 - 31 Aug

The Social

This exhibition documents  over 18 years of 'first timers at Pride', highlighting the impact Manchester Pride has had on people's lives and displaying their memories of the festival. 

manchester in fashion

Thurs 2 - Sun 5 Oct

Throughout Urbis

Manchester’s own take on Fashion weekend with unique boutique stalls, stands and events and a bunch of bargains to pick up to boot!

buy art fair

Fri 10 - Sun 12 Oct

Throughout Urbis

Thurs 9 Oct Preview night only): 5 - 9pm

Fri 10 Oct 10am - 6pm
Sat 11 Oct: 10am - 6pm 

Sun 12 Oct: 10am - 5pm

Buy Art Fair will be an opportunity for novice and experienced collectors to buy a wide variety of art including paintings, ceramics, photography and limited edition prints from galleries and artists across the UK. Visitors will be able to snap up original pieces of art to suit any budget.

visit the Buy Art Fair web site

Advance Tickets:
Preview Night (Thursday 9 October)
Adult - £11.00
Concessions - £10.00
Children Under 14 - FREE

Adult - £5.50
Concessions - £4.50
Children Under 14 - FREE

Purchase on the Door:
Adult - £7.70
Concessions - £6.60
Children Under 14 – FREE

Diesel Wall

April - Sept

Urbis is proud to announce the winner of the 2008 Diesel Wall competition. Tim Hensal’s piece entitled, Suck, has become a Diesel Wall, an international art project on a monumental scale.

 More Information

 Foyer

Manchester Mega-Photo

4 July - December

New in the foyer, this giant photo-collage of Manchestercity centre is the largest panoramic photo-collage of the city ever made. Created by Aidan O'Rourke it measures 10 feet high by 27 feet wide (3 x 8.3 metres) and consists over over 285 single overlapping prints, assembled in a Hockney-esque style.

Taken from the top of the Beetham Tower whilst under construction, the photo-collage covers an area of over 150 square miles, stretching as far as the Pennines.

Come down and see what landmarks you can spot!

The Manchester Mega Photo is kindly sponsored by CityCo

Corridor Gallery

Manchester Central

May 12 2008 – August 3 2008

Come and find out more about Manchester’s forgotten team, Manchester Central who played at the Belle view stadium between 1928 and 1932 and see how they compare to their modern day equivalent FC Utd. Both teams were created by the fans for the fans to give Manchester more affordable and accessible football.

In the exhibition we will be featuring an exclusive scrapbook put together at Belleview in 1928/29, containing all kinds of newspaper articles from Manchester central’s time at the ground.

 Reception gallery

Don’t miss the art installation in Urbis’ Reception Area on your way out. Created by the talented staff that work here at Urbis, these will be refreshed three times a year

More Information

Coming soon...

UK Rock Explosion Tour: Poster Fair

Sat 14 & Sun 15 June
11am - 4pm
Foyer / The Social cafe

See some seminal works from the prolific rock poster creators Chuck Sperry & Ron Donavan (San Francisco). Manchester’s very own talent Nick Rhodes, renowned for his designs for Elbow and Inspiral Carpets, will also be presenting some of his designs.  All works for sale! 

We Make Manchester

July
The Social cafe

As part of Portrait of a Nation 2008, a group of young people have been working on defining Manchester in just six words.  This exhibition is a celebration of how Manchester’s young people see their city and their visualisation of the Mancunian spirit.

 State of art

13 Nov - Feb 2009

check back soon for more information

D&AD Awards:
The best advertising and design in the world

20 Nov - Feb 2009

check back soon for more information

Hidden Manchester

27 Nov - 31 Jan 
Level 4

check back soon for more information
 

exhibition archive

Information and visuals from past exhibitions. More information