This Manchester gallery is reopening with a virtual exhibition reflecting an unprecedented year

Princess Street art gallery Contemporary Six is reopening next month, both physically and virtually, with a brand new exhibition.

Called An Unprecedented Year, the show is local artist Rob Pointon’s long-awaited first solo exhibition at the Gallery, featuring 25 original oil paintings, all painted amid an extraordinary twelve months.

For the past year, Rob has spent his time capturing a zeitgeist that has left nobody unaffected – touching everything from the economy, to family life, to the way we interact.

An Unprecedented Year is an exhibition grounded in real life: the streets of the city, both inhabited and sparse; the now antiquated sight of crowds; the significance of quiet spaces, cultural sites, and art galleries.

His striking paintings show a fluidity of brushwork that makes them shimmer.

Rob’s reputation has flourished in recent years: in 2020, he was awarded full membership of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.

Between 2016–19, he was the international artist-in-residence for Manchester Airport, travelling and rendering the world in paint.

He has also exhibited widely in the New English Art Club and Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibitions, and in 2019, his paintings shone in The Northern Boys exhibition at Contemporary Six.

“What I aspire to achieve with my artwork is for each mark to be a direct, immersive, and engaging experience that others identify with,” says Rob, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1982.

“I pick scenes alive with movement and paint amongst the action.

“The City of Manchester has become my regular office, my early commute, my daily grind. The city’s symbol of a worker bee resonates.

“These streets are my painting gymnasium and this show reflects my battle with urban life over a volatile year.”

The exhibition opens “virtually” on the Contemporary Six website on Friday 23rd October. The doors to Contemporary Six open to the public on Saturday 24th October 2020 at 37 Princess St, with reduced capacity to allow for social distancing and timed visiting slots.