Smolensky Gallery- UNITY
↑
27 Apr 2023
Tags
Smolensky art gallery- UNITY exhibition and opening party to celebrate move to ABC building
New home for one of Manchesters best art galleries
Smolensky Gallery, a Manchester based art gallery, has relocated to the ABC Building in the city centre of Manchester. The gallery’s debut exhibition, “UNITY,” will showcase the work of 22 artist/collectives, including Liam Hopkins of Lazerian, Marcus Method, Kevin Cummins, and Reesha. The exhibition will open on Friday, 28th April, and will run until 30th June.
The gallery’s move to the ABC Building in Spinningfields marks a new chapter for the art gallery. The new location offers a more central location with increased foot traffic, giving the gallery a wider audience reach. This move reflects the gallery’s commitment to showcasing the best contemporary art from established and emerging creatives.
"I am thrilled to be re-homing the gallery in the ABC building. I believe that art is a form of magic and has the power to evoke emotion, spark conversation and bring people together. I hope that the gallery will become a hub for arts and for the local community and a destination for art lovers across the UK" Joe Wilson, Smolensky Gallery Owner

UNITY is a bold art exhibition that aims to push the boundaries of creativity. The exhibition will feature a mix of local, national and international artists, each bringing their own unique art style, artworks and vision to the gallery. The exhibition is designed to create a space that challenges and inspires its viewers, with a variety of styles and mediums on display.
One of the unique and contemporary features of the new gallery is the inclusion of a screen that will exhibit digital artwork accompanied by a physical release. This makes Smolensky Gallery the first gallery in Manchester to offer this unique viewing experience, adding another layer of depth to the exhibition.
In addition to the physical gallery space in Manchester, Smolensky Gallery will also have an online presence, allowing visitors to view the exhibition remotely. The gallery’s online presence will offer a virtual tour of the gallery, allowing viewers to experience the exhibition from the comfort of their own homes.
Smolensky Gallery also has plans to host monthly parties on the rooftop under the banner “House of Art.” These events in Manchester will feature poetry, music, dance, comedy and live art, making it a space for people to come together and celebrate the creativity of the city. Hosting a wide variety of culture including contemporary artists, fine art pieces, and a huge array of different styles and collections it will be sure to attract people from all over Greater Manchester.

To mark the opening of the new gallery and the debut exhibition, Smolensky Gallery will host an exclusive opening show party from 6 pm to 9 pm on Friday, 28th April. This event will give attendees the chance to meet the artists and learn more about the exhibition. Guests will be treated to live music from Manchester music folk including John Haycock and Pablo Blanquito, and a complimentary drink on arrival.
Overall, the move to the ABC Building in Spinningfields, Manchester marks an exciting new chapter for Smolensky Gallery. The gallery’s debut exhibition, UNITY, promises to be a bold and innovative exhibition that challenges and inspires its viewers. With plans for monthly events and an online presence, Smolensky Gallery is set to become an integral part of the Manchester art scene.

A selection of the artist taking part in UNITY
Alexandra Gallagher – award-winning artist Alexandra Gallagher was born in 1980, in Lancashire, England.
Alexandra Gallagher’s contemporary art work celebrates the surreal and bizarre. Between the realms of memory, dreams, and experience, her work looks beyond our subjective limits and often tells a story of inner imagination and thought as well as being fantastic contemporary visual art.

"I take influence from everything around me - like every artist. fashion, design, other artists, music, culture, society, etc. everything I see, hear, and talk about. it all influences what I do. from a short abstract conversations with strangers to memories I have as an individual... we all have a story to tell, something interesting that is unique to all of us, as an individual. I love people-watching. looking at people and seeing how I could translate that into a piece of art - from my own perspective" Alexandra Gallagher

Reesha – Manchester based artist, Reesha, has been developing his craft for several years. An award-winning designer & illustrator, exhibiting in art galleries worldwide, Reesha merged his technical skills with his hands-on creativity bringing about a perfect marriage of his two passions. From screen to canvas, the bold colours stem from his strong digital background, bringing the vibrancy of the screen to reality on a canvas. The powerful colours help guide the narrative coming through each piece, allowing the viewer to put their own meaning to his work. One of the many established artists showing at the Smolensky UNITY exhibition and a regular at many Manchester galleries.
"Playing and learning is key to my artistic development, a year long break from the murals has given me the time in the studio and allowed me to do just that. Resulting in a lot of studio mess but a much clearer mind set, I'm looking forward to seeing what this chapter brings" Hayley aka Aylo (Nomad Clan)

Hayley aka Aylo (Nomad Clan) – Aylo is one half of the award-winning and internationally renowned contemporary artists and street art duo Nomad Clan. For the past 7 years, Nomad Clan have been travelling the globe, painting some of the largest pieces of art in the world. This lifestyle left very little time for studio work. When the pandemic hit Nomad Clan were forced to take their foot off the pedal regarding mural painting and world travel, retreating to the studio to also work on their solo careers. Still coming together for bigger mural projects and installation, of which 2021 brings some very interesting projects.
Over the last 10 years, Aylo has evolved from street artist to multidisciplinary artist through the exploration of different artistic disciplines including sculpture, muralism, oil painting, and fine art prints. Aylos’ work speaks of human interaction or the lack thereof, of feelings and emotions observed and often misunderstood. How everyone has their own reality and that the full picture is never seen.

Lazerian is a multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2006 by Liam Hopkins. Based out of our combined workshop and design studio in a former hat factory in Denton, Manchester we create large-scale artworks, public art installations, bespoke sculptural commissions, interiors, custom-made furniture, and brand promotional objects.
Working with architects, engineers, landscape architects and designers, developers, and city planners as well as creative directors in a wide cross-section of industries we are motivated to design and create pieces that motivate, inspire, and provide a contemporary narrative to any interior and exterior place or space Lazerian has always had a commitment to combine traditional handcraft techniques with more
modern cutting edge technologies. This allows the opportunity to explore new concepts in the world of art and design, to explore the boundaries between art and design using them to tell a story and produce pieces that are site-specific and unique.