Star date: 24th September 2016

STREET ARTIST STEWY AT FUTURE ARTISTS STUDIOS CHAPEL STREET

Dissenting Academy
27th September-October 9th
Future Artists Studios free

Life sized stencil portraits of Salford icons Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke and Hooky will be appearing amongst other `eccentrics, misfits and forward thinkers' at a new exhibition by street artist, Stewy, starting on Tuesday 27th September at Future Artists Studios in Chapel Street. It's a chance to see the works, which normally pop up on public urban walls, all under one roof.

Full details here...

If you walk under Blackfriars Bridge towards Chapel Street near Gravel Lane in the most historic part of Salford, you'll see a faded image of John Cooper Clarke slapped on the white wall with the slogan `You + I are gonna live forever'...

In the new urbanity that's being imposed on Salford, the raw graffiti is almost sticking two fingers up at developers and `regenerators' who are taking over public spaces and sterilizing them to death.

The Johnny Clarke image is just one in a series of stencil portraits of `eccentrics, misfits and forward thinkers' who are appearing on walls and in clubs around Greater Manchester and beyond, done by street artist, Stewy.

Tony Wilson and Hooky complete the Salford lot, while the likes of Frank Sidebottom, Quentin Crisp, Tracey Emin, feminist founder Mary Wollstonecraft and electronic music pioneer, Delia Derbyshire have also been `recognised'. All of the offbeat icons having some spiritual link to Manchester and Salford.

"With all of them you're just showing a bit of love and respect" Stewy explains "There's a loose theme with the women, who are powerful, struggled against it and got on with what they wanted to do."

While the images are usually to be found, `psycho geographically placed' on public walls, Stewy is bringing them together for a Dissenting Academy exhibition, which is free and starts on Tuesday, 27th September at Future Artists Studios in Chapel Street, just down the road from the John Cooper Clarke image.

Here the images are re-created on life-sized boards, and presented alongside stencils of animals which are also to be found usually on walls around city centres...

"The exhibition just gives people the time to look closely at these things" says Stewy "When they're walking round the streets it might be young kids who don't know the history of Frank Sidebottom or someone like that, and it gives them a bit of information. They're not just random people. There's a reason why they are there. Even the animals are reclaiming the city in a way. They are common animals and everyday normal people; there's nothing superior about them. Like, I would never do the Queen..."

John Cooper Clarke certainly approves, posing for a photo next to his image under Blackfriars Bridge recently...

Dissenting Academy
27th September-October 9th
Future Artists Studios
81 Chapel Street M3 5DF

The exhibition is free but need to book tickets in advance as opening times vary. For times and to book tickets click here 

For further details see the Future Artists website – click here