Find work by the world’s top artists at Manchester Art Fair – and win a Banksy worth £1950

Work by world famous names will be available alongside pieces by the very best Northern talent when Manchester Art Fair, featuring The Manchester Contemporary, comes to Manchester Central this weekend.

You’ll be able to find pieces by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Heather Phillipson, Juno Calypso and the Connor Brothers, as well as works from the best talent in the region such as Liam Spencer (Manchester), Janet Kenyon (Cumbria), Ian Rayer Smith (Manchester), and Deborah Butler (Merseyside).

And there’s also the chance to win a Banksy worth £1950. The piece, called Walled Off Box Set, will be raffled for £10 per ticket available during the fair from Leon Martyn stand 242, with the winner announced at 4pm on Sunday. 

Artists the Connor Brothers have also donated a unique piece, All She Wanted Was to Be Someone’s Most Precious Person, with all proceeds from the sale donated to 42nd Street, a Manchester charity supporting people aged 11-25 with emotional well-being and mental health.

Since it launched in 2008, the event has welcomed over 68,000 visitors looking to buy modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and editioned prints. It has allowed thousands of Mancunians to fall in love with the experience of buying art – over £4.5m worth.

Taking place alongside Manchester Art Fair, The Manchester Contemporary takes a uniquely artist-focused approach, inviting the most exciting international and UK galleries to participate. 

One such artist is British photographer Juno Calypso. Juno’s portfolio includes a football-based body of work undertaken during the Women’s World Cup, and last year her piece How Much Life Is Enough was selected by The Manchester Contemporary Art Fund. 

It’s now part of the permanent collection at Manchester Art Gallery, having been bought by the Art Fund last year.

And this year, The Manchester Contemporary has achieved a majority of female-led galleries and collectives for the first time. Of the thirty galleries and collectives exhibiting, over half are led by women, reflecting a rich history of influential, international female gallerists.

“We are so proud of how the fair has developed over the last twelve years, our audience and their appetite for great art has grown beyond all our expectations,” says Thom Hetherington, CEO, Manchester Art Fair. 

“The important thing with art is to make it accessible, and we do that by putting both the biggest international names and the biggest Northern talents right there in the heart of the city, open to all. 

“It’s a uniquely egalitarian and Mancunian approach.”

The fair opens with a preview evening at Manchester Central on Friday 11th October from 5-9pm, followed by public days on Saturday (10am-6pm) and Sunday (10am-5pm). Tickets are available now at manchesterartfair.co.uk. I Love MCR readers can get FREE weekend tickets, worth £5 each, by clicking the button below.

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