Opening its doors onto Quay Street in 2023, St John’s, the area around the Smolensky Gallery is set to become one of Manchester’s most artistically significant. Housed in the beautiful ABC Building, this independent arts institution shares its home with the celebrated Everyman cinema, while around the corner you’ll find the brand new Aviva Studios, headquarters of Manchester International Festival’s production company, Factory International. This is before we mention landmark venues such as the Opera House and Albert Hall which are just a stone’s throw away, and already part of the fabric of this neighbourhood.
Launched with one goal in mind — to “disrupt the current underwhelming Manchester gallery scene” — Smolensky sets out to do things differently. Showcasing artists that look to challenge as much as inspire, the work on display daily reflects interdisciplinary contemporary visual culture at its finest. And by that we mean anything from textile pieces through to the new generation of digital output, with the address home to the city’s first dedicated screen for displaying NFTs and other digital mediums, with all work of this kind accompanied by a physical release, in true metaverse style.
“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 the local community and a destination for art lovers across the UK,” Joe Wilson, the gallery’s owner, told us ahead of the first ever exhibition, giving some idea as to just how committed he is to the idea of adding value to Manchester’s arts scene. Hence plans for monthly rooftop parties, utilising the building’s iconic domed events space, which overlooks the city, and regular exclusive collaborations with some of the most acclaimed and groundbreaking practitioners from the area, region and beyond. Not to mention services including art advisory, bespoke framing, art rental, 0% finance, art sourcing and consignment.