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Look out for these public artworks next time you’re wandering around Manchester city centre.
Art does not just belong in a gallery. In Manchester, you can find it on every street corner – whether that be a mural in the Northern Quarter or a sculpture in the corner of a leafy park.
Artists from both Manchester and all over the world have left their mark on the city centre, reflecting the city’s creativity and diversity. There are tributes to local heroes, commemorations of important events and pieces that are simply designed to make people smile.
We’ve picked out a few of our favourite pieces of public art from in and around the city centre. What else should be included on the list? Let us know via our Facebook page.
We’ve picked out a few of our favourite pieces of public art from in and around the city centre. What else should be included on the list? Let us know via our Facebook page.
5. Engels, First St
This controversial statue of philosopher Friedrich Engels arrived in Manchester in 2017. It was brought over by artist Phil Collins from a village in Eastern Ukraine, where it had been taken down as part of the country’s post-revolution de-communisation efforts (you can still see remnants of where it had been defaced with patriotic blue and yellow paint). Although Engels has an important connection to Manchester, having lived here for almost two decades and having met Karl Marx here, it angered the Ukrainian community, who regard it as a symbol of the authoritarian Soviet regime. | Manchester World
6. Sheep, Castlefield
This piece by Ted Roocroft sits in the heart of ancient Manchester, Castlefield, home to the Roman fort ruins. It was commissioned following a city-wide art competition to mark Manchester declaring itself a nuclear free city in 1980 – the first city to do so. Photo: Google Maps | Google Maps
7. Beacon of Hope, Sackville Gardens
Beacon of Hope, located in Sackville Gardens, near the Gay Village, was created in 1997 by Warren Chapman and Jess Byrne-Daniels as a tribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is where the annual vigil is held during Manchester’s Pride Festival. It is also worth pointing out that Sackville Gardens is home to another famous artwork important to the LGBT community, the statue of computer pioneer Alan Turning. Photo: Google Maps | Google Maps
8. Poppies, Imperial War Museum North
Poppies, by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, was installed at the Imperial War Museum North, Salford, in November 2022 to mark Remembrance Sunday. It includes over 10,000 poppies cascading down 30 metres of the inside of the building. | Manchester TV
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