The First Cut

Claire Brewster | An Apocalypse of Butterflies (detail) | 2012

'The First Cut' opens tonight at the Manchester City Galleries! Their major group exhibition showcases the work of over 30 contemporary artists working creatively with paper.

Claire Brewster will install 'An Apocalypse of Butterflies' in the Pre-Raphaelite galleries: a lively intervention of contemporary art and natural imagery in a traditional space.

Rob Ryan is producing his largest ever single sheet paper cut as one of seven special commissions for the exhibition.

Susan Stockwell’s period dresses, constructed out of antique maps, are beautifully crafted comments on the history of empire and aspiration.

Justine Smith’s work uses bank notes to create images of guns and grenades in a provocative allusion to the lucrative arms trade and gun culture in modern society.

The First Cut | Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, M2 3JL | Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, M14 5LL | 5 October 2012 - 27 January 2013