Two Manchester School of Art graduates are hosting exhibitions to celebrate 40 years of Castlefield Gallery.
24 February 2025
Manchester’s renowned Castlefield Gallery is closing its 40th anniversary celebrations with two new artist commissions with Manchester School of Art alumni Matthew Wood and Kay Shah.
These new commissioned exhibitions, developed with Castlefield Gallery Associates, are being shown at the gallery and high street spaces at New Art Spaces: Chester and New Art Spaces: Warrington.
Matthew Wood’s work, titled ‘WINDOWS’ blends comedy and tragedy, featuring absurd portrayals of human interaction. His drawings are informed by imagery taken from nostalgic and aspirational advertising, the likes of which will have once occupied the windows of retail spaces that Castlefield Gallery repurposes for artists and cultural use. Surreal and speculative worlds created by Wood are brought into dialogue with the high street, calling for attention and surprising high street shoppers and passersby.
Talking on his work, Matthew Wood said the concept “was instinctive; I’m drawn to silliness and humour. Dualities tend come to the surface as I make: order and disorder; beautiful and ugly; joy and sorrow; comedy and tragedy. We are creatures of contradiction. All are necessary and so often the same thing. We shouldn’t ignore the tragedy or the comedy.”
He added that the interactions of passersby will feed into the project too, stating: “The audience is always essential, no matter who they are. People are far richer than the limits of imagination, whether bringing themselves to the work or passing it by. Even the physicality of the spectator, through the transparent canvas as they stop and look, or don’t. It’s all anthropology. The exploration human nature and behaviour.”
Kay Shah’s work ‘Degrees of Duality’ delves into the artist’s relationship with culture and identity; the spaces they create are a way to explore bi-cultural identity from an intercultural perspective. Shah, who is of dual heritage, explained that the work was inspired by their fascination with “the space in between, where one culture meets another, and how a self-created identity emerges from that intersection”.
They commented that “Degrees of Duality is my way of exploring how identities are not fixed but fluid, shaped by the ongoing conversation between different cultural influences. Rather than viewing duality as a stark contrast, I see it as an intricate weaving of histories, symbols, and meanings. This exhibition reflects my personal experience of navigating bi-cultural identity, particularly how cultural motifs and traditions can intersect and coexist. The Fleur-de-lis, a symbol originating in European history, appears alongside geometric patterns reminiscent of Pakistani embroidery and design. These juxtapositions highlight both the cohesion and tensions inherent in bicultural existence - how different influences can simultaneously complement and challenge one another. I was also drawn to the idea of permeability, a theme echoed in the traditional Pakistani Jali screens, which separate spaces while still allowing light and air to pass through. In the same way, cultural identity is not about rigid divisions but about negotiation, adaptation, and reinterpretation. Through Degrees of Duality, I want to invite visitors to enter this liminal space and reconsider how cultural elements interact rather than oppose one another.”
Both of these exhibitions, which run until April 13th 2025, are part of the ‘40 Years of the Future’ celebrationscurated by Castlefield Gallery’s Curator and Deputy Director Matthew Pendergast, who said: “Our 40th anniversary is a great moment to celebrate the many artists we have had the privilege of working with in order to make new art happen and share it with the public. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work of staff, volunteers, funders and supporters that has enabled the gallery to continue to be so ambitious over the years - and of course to look forward to the next 40 years!”
Castlefield gallery was first opened by Manchester School of Art alumni in 1984 and thus, it is a fitting recognition of the 40th year anniversary to commission work from two graduates of the school.
Matthew Wood commented that his time at Manchester School of Art greatly developed his creative approach stating “Interactive Arts nurtured curiosity and this flows throughs everything to this day. The question is often more interesting than the answers.”
Kay Shah also commented “The foundational skills I formed at Manchester School of Art have stayed with me throughout my career. This project involved a lot of research, contextualising, critical writing, observing and re-evaluating; all skills I developed at university. Core elements like light, space, perspective, colour, and texture all play a role in the project, and much of my understanding of these elements was shaped whilst in the studio spaces at Manchester School of Art; along with the numerous experimentations with various materials, analysing other artists’ works, and building a reference archive that now helps me imagine, create and inform new ideas.”
Exhibition details:
16 February 2025 - 13 April 2025
Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces: Chester and New Art Spaces: Warrington
Find out more about 40 Years of the Future: WINDOWS
Find out more about 40 Years of the Future: Degrees of Duality
