Nothing is so black and white
Steve Forrest's photomontages at Warrington Art Gallery | 3 North West arts festivals returning in 2025 | Latest NW arts news
It’s one of those weeks where it’s hard to believe there is ever a day when you can can go out without a jumper, big coat and numerous woollies. When the very idea of a summer’s day seems like something you dreamt or once read about but have never actually experienced in real life.
Despite the cold driving me to steal my husband’s ‘foot warmer slipper’ (I feel sure marketing people have come up with a better name for a hot water bottle cover with space for your feet than this), I am still enjoying the cleansing effect of the frosty weather after a month of raucous indulgence (mostly board games and pigs in blankets).
Everywhere resembles a wintery landscape painting - or, if you get closer, an abstract pattern made of white lines. If you manage to stop for a moment and drink it all in, without sliding off the pavement, it’s quite beautiful.
If you’d rather stay indoors - and warm up in a location where you’re not forking out on the heating bills - then there’s a new exhibition at Warrington Art Gallery to discover more about below, as well as details of a new theatre show and an exhibition that you still just about have time to catch.
Shades of grey illuminated by a life lived through a lens
It’s no secret that opinions on everything from Donald Trump’s presidency to whether ketchup belongs in the fridge or the cupboard have become increasingly polarised. It is deeply unfashionable to admit that you don’t have a clear-cut opinion on what everyone else seems to be loudly rowing about or to allow yourself to be swayed even slightly by a different point-of-view.
But Manchester-based photographer Steve Forrest is optimistic that, in time, people will be drawn to the common ground between them, and is using photo montages of his images to explore new ways to look at contemporary issues affecting society.
Forrest, whose exhibition What We See is Not Always Black and White is opening at Warrington Art Gallery this month, delved into his archive to create the 24 photo montages being displayed alongside eight of his photographs.
‘I believe that the majority of people will be able to ignore the media hysteria and narrowing of debate’ - Steve Forrest
Over the past 30 years, he has covered everything from foreign wars for major news organisations to Hollywood celebrities, musicians, artists and politicians for The New York Times. He has also worked for UK and foreign government departments, and the United Nations, documenting significant events all over the world.
He said: “As shades of grey enter into my work, I see more possibilities to find common ground. Despite the world becoming more polarised, the debates simplified and personal, I believe that the majority of people will be able to ignore the media hysteria and narrowing of debate and form opinions more representative of their lives.”
After working as an art director for a number of London advertising agencies, Forrest decided he wanted to experience more of the work and retrained as news photographer. It took less than a year for him to go from a position as a staff photographer at the Oxford Journal to catching a taxi in Jerusalem and going straight to the Gaza Strip that was under military curfew.
At times his work has taken him into frightening situations. One of his first experiences was a soldier threatening to shoot him dead, and he also faced death from shelling during Eritrea’s war with Ethiopia in 2000. But he has also photographed many major stars and famous names, including his heroes Harold Pinter, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Tariq Ali and Tony Benn. He has taken pictures of Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman, and once flew to Dublin to photograph U2 in their rehearsal studio.
‘My montages are a way of addressing the subtleties and complexities of a life lived through the lens’ - Steve Forrest
Photojournalism has undergone a dramatic change over the three decades that Forrest has been practising it. He says the complexity of issues can be lost due to how quickly the news is delivered to audiences, to the narrow filter of news cycles and to social media algorithms feeding information to users that reinforces their own beliefs without offering alternatives.
His retrospective intends to question the effect this ‘simplified dialogue’ has on our perspective on the world and efforts to build a more knowledgeable and fairer society. While he does not offer any answers, Forrest hopes visitors will take a moment to ‘challenge their own prejudices’.
He said: “Are there different meanings behind each piece of work? Can they be interpreted differently than what the caption explains? You can form several opinions should you look hard enough at some works.
“This reflection of the past has made me look more closely at the ‘grey areas’ that exist in today’s most hotly disputed topics. Despite having seen some of the worst of humanity while photographing wars, I see goodness and kindness all around me.
“My montages are a way of addressing the subtleties and complexities of a life lived through the lens.”
What We See is Not Always Black and White is at Warrington Art Gallery & Museum from Saturday, January 18 to Thursday, March 20.
Latest arts news
✏️ Artist Matthew Wood has been chosen to create a series of large-scale monochrome drawings to mark the close of Castlefield Gallery’s 40th anniversary programme. He will apply high-flow acrylic directly onto the glass and across the windows of the organisation’s regional venues - New Art Spaces: Chester and New Art Spaces: Warrington. His works will also occupy the Manchester gallery’s double-height space where vsitors will be invited inside to immerse themselves in his work. 40 Years of the Future: Degrees of Duality runs from Sunday, February 16 to Sunday, April 13.
🦖 A “shot-for-shot” parody of the “greatest dinosaur film of all time” is coming to Lowry, Salford, after selling out in New York and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Created by New York-based Recent Cutbacks, Hold On To Your Butts combines comedy, physical theatre and live Foley sound effects. It runs from Wednesday, February 12 to Saturday, February 15.
🏫 TV’s Jake Quickenden heads the cast of the UK tour of Rita, Sue & Bob Too!, which kicks off at St Helens Theatre Royal from Tuesday, February 4 to Sunday, February 9. He will be joined by Jessica Ellis as Michelle and Kay Nicholson as Rita in Andrea Dunbar’s tale of love, lust and tested friendships based on the 1987 British film. In the North West, it will also tour to The Plaza in Stockport (February 18-22), New Brighton Floral Pavillion (February 26 to March 2), The Atkinson in Southport (March 12-15) and Liverpool Olympia (April 9-12).
🪶 The Art Deco Society UK will present a weekend of events in Liverpool, marking one hundred years since the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts and the birth of Art Deco. Taking place mainly at the Crowne Plaza John Lennon Airport, from Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, March 30, it will offer a mix of talks, tours, dance classes, vintage automobiles and aircraft, cocktail hour, ball and an afternoon tea.
🦕 More prehistoric beasts as the National History Museum brings its Dinosaurs Live show to Warrington’s Parr Hall on Saturday, September 13. The family-friendly experience, for children aged three and above, will bring extinct species to life on stage through animatronics, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and fearsome Velociraptor.
In case you missed it
3 North West arts festivals returning in 2025
Full programme details are yet to be announced so here’s just a flavour of what to expect…
Liverpool Biennial: Curated by Marie-Anne McQuay, the 13th edition of this city centre-based festival will take the theme ‘BEDROCK’. Drawing on Liverpool’s distinctive geography and the beliefs which underpin the city’s social foundations, it will be inspired by the sandstone which spans the city region and is found in its distinctive architecture. It will also acts as a metaphor for the social foundations of Liverpool and the people, places and values that ground all of us. Don’t miss the Independents Biennial, a celebration of local artists, that will run concurrently. June 7 to September 14.
Manchester International Festival: Focussed on commissioning new work, MIF has been staged every two years since 2007 and has presented world premieres by artists including Björk, Jeremy Deller, Akram Khan and David Lynch. July 3-20.
British Textile Biennial: Held in Lancashire, this year’s theme will be Pioneers of the Material World, with artists and designers looking back to see how the textile pioneers of 20th century Lancashire were inspired by a bold vision of the future that revolutionised our lives, and investigate how our own material future must learn from a distant past that is almost lost to us. October 2 to November 2.
Opening this week
Mariupol Drama, performed at HOME in Manchester from Tuesday, January 14 to Saturday, January 18, is a poignant testimony from actors who were sheltering inside the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine, during the tragic events of March 2022. Written by Oleksandr Gavrosh, based on actors’ accounts of their experiences, it is performed by Vira Lebedynska, Olena Bila, and Ihor Kytrysh, alongside Olena and Ihor’s son Matvii.
Last chance to see
Fans of the TV show Rivals, recently released on Netflix, have just two weeks to get their fix of 80s fashion at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight.
Among the 20 outfits displayed in the exhibition Bedazzled are those worn by Leila Potter (1935-2022), a successful businessperson, charity campaigner and local councillor whose wardrobe has been acquired by National Museums Liverpool. She had a passion for dazzling, sequinned items of clothing, usually featuring the colour pink.
Through examples of glamorous evening wear dating from the 1920s to today, the show celebrates the enduring popularity of beaded garments and explores the skills involved in making them. Ends Sunday, January 26.
Thank you for reading the 112th edition of Stored Honey. If you enjoyed what you read then please hit the ❤️ button as it helps to get it shown more widely.
I’m off now to try to find a frame for a print I bought about three years ago in an effort to brighten up my house now the decorations are back in the loft. In the meantime, you can get hold of me on Instagram, on Bluesky, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura