Page 3 - Deansgate

Manchester 2020 Vision Exhibition
Quay Street Gallery - Deansgate Gallery - Princess Street Gallery
background and introduction to the exhibition
presented by Denis Taylor. Editor TUBES magazine & Curator of the exhibitions

Painters TUBES magazine and TAG (Tubes Artists Gallery), has had a collaborative working agreement with British
Art Exhibitions for a number of years. The collaboration was to start in earnest with TAG producing the catalogues for
various pop-up exhibitions that British Art Exhibitions had scheduled to start in late 2019 through to the end of 2020.

When British Art Exhibitions and painters TUBES first began to discuss the concept to mount a Virtual Reality show
it was because the ‘real-life’ exhibitions, had to be suspended due to the outbreak of Covid and the subsequent lock
down that followed.

The discussion of mounting a VR show seemed to be a logical way of ensuring that the artists who had wanted to
exhibit in the initial Manchester 2020 exhibition, a show that had been planned for Easter 2020 at the Brick Factory,
Barton Arcade, could do so. This was a way and in part, to assist artists morale after the terrible disappointment of the
2020 Shows deferment. British Art Exhibitions have now rebooked the venue for the new Manchester exhibition, at
the same venue for April 15, 2022. In between time the Virtual Reality show was planned and designed for opening on
June 20 2021.

The response to the ‘call-out’ for submissions for the VR 2021 show was not only astonishing in the numbers of
artworks received, but also in the quality of work that was presented. Painters TUBES magazine was given the
responsibility for curating the show which included choosing the art to be exhibited. In the final analysis it was my own
personal recommendations that finalised the list for exhibition.
This became an increasingly impossible task as day by day as more and more great art landed on my screen from the
UK from all over the world to my Studio in Sweden.

It seemed to me that I would have to exclude hundreds of superb works of art, that had been created by very talented
artists. At that point I opened a discussion with my colleagues in the UK to gain agreement and help with the idea of
‘multiple’ exhibitions. The idea was to split the work into various areas based more on the artists depth of experience
as an artist, rather than on the actual quality of the work.

British Art Exhibitions and Tubes created three Galleries. Quay Street, Deansgate, and Princess Street, which are
locations famous in Manchester for Art and Culture.
I then began to divide the artists to create exhibitions that are easily navigated and not overwhelming (too much art)
to enure all the work could be appreciated in a way pleasing for the visitor.

This division of art and artists made sense and it became clear that it was a very practical and creative, as the work
could be then blended in a visually appealing arrangement.
In the final plan the VR Galleries will show a totally unique exhibition for one month from June running through to
March 2022 (circa 12 individual exhibitions). March 2022 being ideal timing for the
Barton Arcade, Brick Factory Exhibition.

As a seasoned curator of special exhibitions nationally and internationally in the UK, Greece and Sweden (1989 to
2021) the Manchester 2020 vision experience has been one of the most ambitious and visually exciting projects
I have had the honour to help bring to reality. And I welcome all to enjoy the show, pass comment
and if possible support the artists by owning a work of Art.

personaly note: I am personally eternally grateful to my good friends and fellow artists, Brian Rutenberg, David Coulter
and Lee Harrison for their permission to use their fantastic art for the front covers of each of the three galleries.
And Craig Barker for the use of his photographs for promotional work. Special thanks to David Coulter who created
one piece of art exclusively for the Deansgate Cover.