Archive City, The Holden Gallery, Manchester
This photography exhibition featuring the work of Gabriele Basilico, Vanley Burke, John Davies, Martin Parr and Edith Tudor-Hart offers contrasting viewpoints of the city, whilst also making unexpected connections. The basic premise behind this intriguing show is that archives do not always offer neatly contained packages to aid understanding – they can just as easily divert and mislead.
Until 13 December, www.holdengallery.mmu.ac.uk
Michael Farrell, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
Charting 40 years of Michael Farrell’s work, this exhibition examines issues surrounding Irish identity, politics, culture and history. His self-portraits echo his critical analysis of Ireland, suggesting a crisis of masculinity, something that becomes a significant preoccupation that treads a fine line between self-pity and ruthless self-examination.
Until 4 January 2014, http://www.crawfordartgallery.ie
Michael Landy: Saints Alive, National Gallery, London
This series of large-scale kinetic sculptures bring a contemporary twist to the lives of the saints. Landy’s works consist of fragments of National Gallery paintings cast in three dimensions and assembled with one of his artistic hallmarks – refuse. Towering over you, the seven sculptures swivel and turn, in movements that evoke the drama of each saint’s life.
Until 24 November, www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Haegue Yang: Journal of Bouba/kiki, Glasgow Sculpture Studios, Glasgow
Korean artist Haegue Yang presents work resulting from a three-month production residency at Glasgow Sculpture Studio over the summer. Yang brings together a variety of working methods – including, for the first time, the traditional handicraft of macramé – to create complex installations and hand-made objects that explore ideas around labour, the economy, fabrication and abstraction.
Until 20 December, www.glasgowsculpturestudios.org
Ana Mendieta: Traces, Hayward Gallery, London
Ana Mendieta’s performances and ‘earth-body’ sculptures combine ritual with metaphors about life, death, and rebirth. Utilising a range of materials including blood, fire, earth, water and her own body, this exhibition is a superb re-examination of the Cuban-born American artist whose fragile work still resonates almost 30 years after her death.
Until 15 December, www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Selections chosen by Jack Hutchinson and Chris Sharratt
