The HappeningInMCR Team has returned with their 9th open call exhibition in their
Community Micro-Gallery, featuring 10 talented local artists.

The team were blown away with the level of quality submitted to their 8th open call and after combing through 75 submissions, the team is excited to present 12 selected artworks. The exhibition showcases a range of mediums including works on canvas in layered latex, digital art, collage, photography, glazed tiles, drawing and painting.

Head to the Community Micro-Gallery on the ground floor via the Tib Street entrance and
wheelchair accessible via the Church Street Entrance.

Below, you can read the featured artists’ information and statements.

If you are interested in purchasing any works which are for sale, please contact the artist or happeninginmcr@gmail.com. Both HappeningInMCR and Afflecks take no commission, so all proceeds go towards the artist and their practice.

Exhibiting Artist Statements

Babyface (he/they)
@babyface.designs
Piccadilly Pigeon Pals, 2025, Photography and digital, 29.7 x 21 cm, £30 including frame

Babyface is known to be a Manchester local contemporary artist renowned for their abstract
compositions, characterised by his use of bold dynamic forms and vibrant colour palettes.
His street photography captures the small moments in everyday life with a psychedelic twist,
using vivid hues and layers of texture he is able to create unworldly mix media pieces.
Babyface is inspired by all of Manchester, especially by the diverse art culture and the
liveliness of the city’s streets.

Eve (she/her)
@eve.unframed
Unify, 2026, Latex sheets, encapsulating acrylic paint and oil pastel on canvas, 25.4 x 20.3 cm, £70

Eve discovered her desire for creating during the early years of life. A playful childhood amongst nature absolutely inspires her practice.

This is her investigation into the process of blending, setting, dusting and peeling, seeking to display a visually metaphorical reunion between materials and imagery. Unify bridges the gap between storytelling and meaning as it returns the natural medium of latex to an organic painted environment, amongst abstracted flora. This malleable material holds conformative qualities as it imitates both soft and hard forms, performing as an ecological ghost.

Fern Deacon (she/her)
@staresocietystudio
Fever Dream 1, 2025, Giclée print on Canson Infinity PhotoSatin, 42 x 29.5 cm, £150

Fern Deacon is a photographer and creative working out of her studio based in Stockport. Fern uses her background in performing arts to build sets, characters and costumes to create her own self-portraits.

This image is part of an ongoing self-portrait series exploring the vulnerability of a performer. Using self-portraiture, Fern constructs enclosed environments to reflect emotional states rather than literal narratives. Her work is deliberately restrained, imperfect and ambiguous, inviting the viewer to sit with the images rather than resolve them. Instead of presenting a clear narrative, the work suggests a psychological state that sets the tone for the series.

Hel Vesper (she/her)
@hel_vesper
The Crows Have Drunk Her Brain, 2026, Digital illustration hand-drawn in Photoshop, 30.7 x 30 cm, £150 (framed)

Hel Vesper was born and raised in Manchester, and her first Saturday job was in a small jewellery shop on Afflecks’ first floor. Often doodling under the desk during quiet periods, she went on to create hand-drawn digital art that pays homage to her passion for storytelling.

Never one to fit in, Hel is inspired by tales of unlikely heroes and was drawn to Afflecks’ culture of inclusivity and anti-discrimination from a young age. With a particular interest in exploring themes of neurodivergence and mental health, she enjoys using bold colours and dramatic lighting to evoke emotion and emphasise gothic undertones.

Jay McAvoy (they/them)
@yellojam
I’ll go where the sun lifts the mountain, 2026, Oil on paper, 21 x 14.5 cm, £55

Jay McAvoy is a Manchester-based multimedia artist and animator. Focusing on intuitive practice, bold use of colour and movement throughout their work, they strive to create pieces that call back to aspects and feelings of the natural world.

McAvoy works intuitively with both still pieces and animations, enabling the art to create itself in some way and capturing the ever-changing, instinctive tone of nature. I’ll go where the sun lifts the mountain is a strong example of this focus; vivid colours evolve spontaneously and fluid shapes begin to resemble a bird lifting its wings over a sunlit mountain.

Joel Slater (he/him)
@joellslater
Tandem Hotties and Runaway Groove, both 2024, painted and glazed tile, 23 x 23 cm including frame, not for sale

The Bruce Willis of the painting world.

Joel’s work brings together bright colours and playful ideas to create fun, character-driven artworks full of personality. In his spare time, when he’s not dressing up like a worm and eating soil, he’s up to his chin in acrylic paint fighting for his life.

Using the ancient art of ‘splatting’ or ‘advanced goblin smearing’, Joel creates art entirely of his own making, fitting naturally with the creative, independent spirit of Afflecks. He works across a range of mediums, including a series of painted and glazed tiles.

“For Frodo.” – Aragorn

Libby Andrews (she/her)
@libbyandrewsillustration
A Pigeon in Manchester, 2026, Collage, 40 x 30 cm, £40 (framed)

Libby is an artist and illustrator in her final year studying at Manchester School of Art. She embraces mixed media processes, currently focusing on collage and using vibrant colours and playful patterns to create charismatic and lively illustrations.

Her practice is shaped by her love of animals and nature. This piece takes inspiration from the pigeons of Manchester, a species often overlooked, reflecting her belief that all animals deserve love and protection.

Michael Price
@michaelmarsdenprice
Boxer and Swim Reaper, both 2026, Digital collage print, 20.3 x 15.2 cm, £20 each

Michael Price is a writer and artist from Bolton. His work covers themes of identity, love, and happiness.

Sett Azadi
@settazadi
Where The Water Remembers, 2025, Oil on canvas, 25 x 25 cm, not for sale

Sett Azadi is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist working across traditional painting, digital 2D and 3D art, and tattoo. She holds a BA in Painting and an MA in Game Art from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her practice explores memory, emotional states, and the subconscious, often informed by experiences of displacement, introspection, and identity. She is drawn to themes of inner tension, quiet isolation, and the spaces where emotions are felt rather than spoken. Through layered textures and atmospheric compositions, her work focuses on creating emotionally charged environments that invite reflection and personal interpretation rather than fixed narratives.

Yuu Moriyama (she/her)
@miss_moriyama
The embodiment of faith 6, 2026, gold ink on black card, 33 x 24 cm, £35

Yuu Moriyama is an acrylic painter and ink illustrator based in Salford. Her practice is autobiographical and covers topics of isolation, loneliness, childhood, time, daydreams, and melancholy, all through a surreal or pop-surreal lens.

Using an array of personal symbolism and the language of things (especially flowers), she guides the viewer toward meaning whilst encouraging them to impart their own thoughts and feelings. Her work is deeply personal, yet rooted in shared, modern experiences.

Follow @happeninginmcr on Instagram or join their mailing list for regular updates about arty goings-on in Greater Manchester. If you missed their last open call, the next will launch mid-May 2026.

The HappeningInMCR Team:
Jasmine — Co-Director, Admin and Coordinator, @sminspiring_art
Nahsa — Co-Director, Co-Curator, @nashacashart
Tom — Co-Curator and Gallery Technician, @tomkinlochart
Beeve — Social Media Assistant, @beeve
Pita — Graphic Designer, @pitahpat
Jade — Marketing Assistant, @jadeartchive