HappeningInMCRs microgallery has just been refreshed with incredible artwork from 16 local artists! 

The team received an overwhelming 79 artist submissions, resulting in 174 pieces to review. After a thorough selection process, we are thrilled to present the 17 stunning artworks they chose from 16 talented local artists.

The exhibition showcases a diverse range of mediums including lino prints, ink paintings, photography and digital illustration and will be open from 27th May until late August.

Below you can read the chosen artists information and statements 

Alexandra Ensor | She/Her | @byalexandraensor
How my autism makes me feel, 2024, Pencils and ink pens, 14.85 x 21cm
Ensor is currently a second year student at the Manchester School of Art studying Illustration with Animation. The use of pen, ink, and pencils within her artwork as primary tools is integral to her style. She feels as though without them, it would not be possible to create the line work she does. They allow her to portray a strong sense of character within her drawings and animations. This piece is about identity and Ensor’s autism, with which she has struggled with a sense of belonging and feeling ‘normal’. Through this piece, she is taking control and protesting against what is ‘normal’.

Cara Smith | They/Them | @time4s0up
Inside My Brain, 2023, Photograph of Clay, acrylic paint, glaze, felt, cardboard, stuffing sculptures, 21 X 29cm Cara Smith/time4soup is a non-binary 3D illustrator based in the North, who works in multimedia focusing on textiles, model making, and animation. Their quirky style of work is seen through their characters, originally drawn as 2D illustrations then brought to life in 3D with materials such as clay, fabric, textiles, and stop motion. Their work focuses mainly on raising awareness of mental health and well-being issues. “Inside my brain” is a visual representation of Cara’s feelings and thoughts portrayed as funny little red people, each reflecting Cara’s mental health struggles with EUPD and a mood disorder. Cara found it
therapeutic creating their emotions in 3D – it helped them come to terms with their intense feelings – and hopes others who struggle can relate.

Dorians_room | He/They, @dorians_room
The lobsters supper, 2024, Digital, 22cm X 22cm Dorian is a transgender artist from Stockport, who focuses on neuroqueer experiences and internet-core aesthetics, through textiles and digital painting. Dorian has been visiting Afflecks since they were a preteen goth and always admired the solidarity and community. Now as a creative, they understand the importance of these unique shops.

Elegia | She/Her | @iamelegia / iamelegia.com
Quincey, 2024, Giclée: Hahnemühle German etching paper, 29.7 cm X 42 cm
Elegia is a Scottish self-taught photographer based in Manchester, who works with analogue and mixed media. Her work is defined by a passion for the imperfect and the flawed. She loves the serendipitous nature of working with films to create quirky and colourful images.

Henry Croker | @writhe_with_me
October, 2023, Black Ink on Paper, 29.7 X 21cm in a 45 X 32.5cm Frame Henry is an architect working in Manchester. He enjoys drawing with ink in his spare time,
exploring nature and the comforting ambiguity of darkness. Living in a city where newly built, clean, shiny glass skyscrapers grow from the ground endlessly (and by designing these buildings as his day job), Henry contrasts these experiences with drawings of nature, chaos, and struggle.

KrikSix | @kriksix
Sandman x Transformers, 2024, digital painting, 20 X 20cm Sumit Sarkar is a digital/analogue sculptor and painter taking inspiration from various sources including religious iconography, science fiction, and comic/cartoon/graffiti art, with
recent work focusing on abstracted sculptural form. New technology is at the forefront of Sumit’s practice with recent projects exploring 7-axis robot arm marble milling, Virtual and Augmented Reality, motion capture, and multi-material 3D print. Technology and process often inspire the idea. Sumit’s new works exhibited here are the first of a series of digital paintings paying homage to his favourite things in the world ever, expressed through the prism of his first love, Transformers.

Lawlight Maledictus | They/Them | @the__lone__artist
The case studies of fibromyalgia, 2024, Print of Painting, 21 x 29.7cm Lawlight’s work fits in not due to its style but to its realism; all who walk through the doors of Afflecks may have in some way experienced a mental health disorder or condition. It is their goal to inspire others through their artwork by making the intangible, tangible.

Layli Damani | She/Her | @linosbylayli / https://linosbylayli.etsy.com
Swimmers, 2023, Linoprint on paper, 27.6 X 20.3cm print on 42 X 29.7cm paper.
Layli is a student in Manchester making artwork in her spare time, mostly in the form of lino prints with bold, abstract designs. In her art, she manipulates the human figure to create surreal, contorted forms, and uses this to represent how she thinks about her own body and how it feels to be inside it. She trys to forget about making the figures physically accurate and therefore would call the majority of her pieces self portraits, or depictions of a state of mind, despite often using many figures to represent one person.

Lewis Richardson | He/They | @leafylizzard
Dragon Falls, 2024, Coloured pencil, 24.3x18cm
Art was Lewis’ first passion, his childhood spent doodling dragons at the back of class. Eventually Lewis discovered music and the joy it brought him, so much he decided to do a degree! Since graduating last December Lewis has been rediscovering the joy to be found in creating visual art; this is the first full piece he has created purely for himself in many years. Lewis can think of no better place to have it displayed, and no better audience, than the
wonderful community of fellow fantasy enjoyers and dragon geeks at Afflecks. This was a pleasure to make, he hopes it is enjoyed!

Nasha Cash | @nashacashart
Page 2 and Page 3, 2024, Paper and ink, 15 X 10cm Nasha is a Manchester based artist and illustrator currently working on a zine exploring the life of a rabbit having an artistic identity crisis.

Pippa Hobbs | She/They | @Pippa_Hobbs_Art / www.pippahobbs.com
Big Bug Band, 2024, Ink on mixed media paper, 30 X 30cm Pippa Hobbs is a queer artist based in Manchester. They are inspired by nature, folktales, and children’s stories. Big Bug Band is a whimsical illustration combining the natural world and our effect on it. Big Bug is not full of hate, just music. His 5p piece is his single most prized possession. He doesn’t understand money because he is a bug. He has been playing his drums since long before we were here, and will still be playing them long after we are gone.

RegretGoblin | He/Him | @regretgoblin / regretgoblin.carrd.co
COMMUNITY, 2024, digital illustration and risograph print, 21 X 29 cm Abel is a local queer, trans artist and printmaker. Since moving to Manchester in 2019, he's found such a welcoming community, which has helped him to thrive and grow both personally and in his art practice. Afflecks was one of the first places he found whilst exploring in his first week and holds a special place in his heart. These selected artworks are a love letter to the local queer art scene and a message to whoever might be passing by: you are loved, you are home, and you deserve to rest.

Ren Richardson | @ibrokethelightbulb
The rear view, 2023, Pen, 20 X 20 cm. Originally from Liverpool, Ren has lived in Manchester for nearly 20 years. Taking inspiration from the changing landscape of the city, her illustrations resemble backgrounds from a post-apocalyptic Mancunian graphic novel, depicting areas on the outskirts and backstreets of Manchester that are on the precipice of redevelopment, attempting to capture neglected graffiti covered buildings and forgotten street corners before they are inevitably demolished.

Trashman Alchemist | He/Him | @trashman_alchemist
Mad Man Across The Water, 2023, 1/1 Photogram on silver gelatin photographic paper, 25.4 X 31.75 cm, Trashman Alchemist is a multidisciplinary artist who's originally from Southern California, now living and working in Manchester. Trashmans artistic practice elicits sentiments of psychedelia, self-reflection, and exploration of the duality between melancholia and addiction. Creating artwork from otherwise obsolete, discarded, or found materials, Trashman encourages the viewer to consider how the artwork came into existence, and why the objects themselves were so readily disposed of.

Wackydoodledevon | They/Them | @wackydoodledevon
Down to Clown, 2024, Reduction Lino Print, 14.8 X 21cm, Wackydoodledevon is a local non-binary illustrator, animator, and printmaker with a special interest in pigeons. Their work is always colourfully queer and delightfully silly, with the goal
of making people smile.

Yu Min | @______ym______doesnt / https://teohyumin.wixsite.com/ym04
“The Frame” - A Better Service A Better Future, Mixed media collage illustration, 45 X 33cm, Hailing from the vibrant landscapes of Malaysia, Yu Min is an architecture designer and illustrator with a passion for crafting delightful illustrations. Their artwork, characterised by soft pastel hues, exudes a whimsical charm that captivates viewers. Through their illustrations, Yu Min explores the concept of drone service in urban environments, offering a vision of a brighter and more efficient future. With meticulous attention to detail and a keen eye for aesthetics, Yu Min's artwork not only reflects their architectural background but also their creative expression through colours and design.