Exhibitions
Gallery Oldham has three large exhibition spaces plus a community gallery.
We take an innovative and unique approach to exhibition programming, bringing together what were once separate museum and gallery services.
Our programming incorporates Oldham’s extensive art, social and natural history collections alongside touring work, newly commissioned and contemporary art, international art and work produced with local communities.
In addition we have permanent displays around the building.
Current Exhibitions
Gallery 1 – Oldham Stories
Oldham Stories exhibition, features selected objects from our extensive collections to tell and show the stories of Oldham and its local communities. From birds and animals to banners and artwork, every object has a fascinating tale to tell. Our Collector’s Case features an array of caps, shirts and memorabilia from Oldham Rugby Football League. The display also highlights local figures such as suffragette Annie Kenney, daredevil speedway rider Clem Beckett and the popular artist Helen Bradley.
Gallery 2 – Legacies of Biafra
23 October – 26 February 2021
This multimedia exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigeria-Biafra war, providing a timely reflection on the ongoing impact of the war. The exhibition considers how one of the first civil wars in post-independence Africa has influenced the perception of the continent internationally whilst examining the legacies of war visible in the social and political structures within Nigeria.
The exhibition features works predominantly from the artistic collective Nigeria Art Society UK (NASUK), which will be exhibited alongside archival materials on the war and a selection of short films. Find out more about Legacies of Biafra and NASUK on this exhibition page.
Join us for an online talk on Wednesday 9 February 2022 at 2pm. Book your place now via Eventbrite.
Gallery 3 – Zarah Hussain: Light Upon Light
22 January – 14 May 2022
Zarah Hussain is a contemporary artist based in London. She was born in Macclesfield in 1980. Zarah Hussain works at the intersection of science and spirituality. She combines contemporary digital art with rigorous training in traditional hand-drawn Islamic geometry. She has spent her career exploring the ways in which she can apply the principles of Islamic geometric design to contemporary art, using new technologies and materials.
We are delighted to present 12 new pieces of wall-based sculpture, alongside drawings and the light installation Invisible Threads, which was made in 2018. Invisible Threads is an ever-changing design which has an infinite number of colour combinations, so it appears different every time you see it.
Oldham’s Lockdown Museum – online exhibition
Oldham’s Lockdown Museum is a digital project to collect a snapshot of what life is like in our local area during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We’d love to share your experiences and ideas, and see pictures (photographs or drawings/paintings) or films of the objects that sum them up, whatever they are.
Each week we will set a theme for you to respond to. You are also welcome to send us Lockdown related images which don’t relate to the themes. We will exhibit our favourite entries in Oldham’s Lockdown Museum the following week so make sure that you check back here soon. To find out more about how to enter and this week’s theme click here.
Coming soon….
Landscape Inside Out | March 5 – June 4
Liz Ackerley and Hugh Winterbottom present their first joint large-scale exhibition, exploring the local landscapes from their home in Mossley. Moorland, woodland and the valleys are the focus of their explorations.
Both artists spend a lot of time working outside as well as in the studio. They bring into the gallery the atmospheric feeling of the landscape that they both know so well. The collaboration enables two very different, complementary ways of experiencing and interpreting the same landscapes. Hugh’s oil paintings create depth and atmosphere by observing colour and light. Liz’s dynamic mixed media paintings explore the rich visual language of vistas and details.
Image Credit: Fleeting Moment, Lasting Memories by Liz Ackerley