Desperados teams up with legendary Manchester artist Stanley Chow for city-wide treasure hunt

Iconic Manchester artist Stanley Chow has joined forces with Desperados to turn the city into one giant round of Lotería, with six oversized playing cards hidden across some of the city’s best-known cultural hotspots.

The collaboration sees the celebrated illustrator put his distinctive spin on the traditional Mexican card game, creating a series of bespoke designs which have been dotted around central Manchester as part of a seasonal treasure hunt.

Known for his pared-back, geometric portraits of musicians, politicians and pop culture figures, Chow has previously immortalised the likes of Liam Gallagher and Andy Burnham. For this latest project, his illustrations offer a fresh visual take on six classic Lotería characters: La Sirena (The Mermaid), La Guitarra Eléctrica (The Guitar), El Catrín (The Dandy), La Escalera (The Ladder), La Botella (The Bottle) and La Rosa (The Rose).

Each design has been matched with a Manchester location reflecting its subject and the city’s wider artistic, musical and cultural heritage, with cryptic clues providing the route between them.

Those keen to take part can follow the clues as they appear on Desperados’ Instagram account, collecting photographic evidence of all six cards before sending their finds to @desperados_uk via direct message. Completing the set enters participants into a prize draw, with three all-expenses-paid weekend breaks for two, each worth up to £1,000, alongside vouchers for meals out, up for grabs.

The collaboration will extend beyond the hunt itself, with Desperados bringing Chow’s designs to a series of live events across the North this November. Manchester’s instalment takes place at YES on Thu 19 Nov, featuring a DJ set from record producer Conducta.

Speaking about the project, Stanley Chow said: “I’ve always had a fascination with Mexican culture, be it the food, art, Day of the Dead even… so when the opportunity arose to produce my version of the Lotería Cards, it was an opportunity that I immediately said yes to. It gives me great pleasure to be able to share my designs with the folk of Manchester and have them dotted around the city.”

Katie Park at Desperados added: “Lotería is a game rooted in Mexican culture. We wanted to bring a little of that Latin spirit to the UK, and turning Manchester into one giant, interactive Lotería game felt like the perfect way to do just that.

“Working with Stanley has been a huge privilege and we could think of no one better to bring Lotería to life. His style is instantly recognisable, and he’s brought a brilliant Manchester perspective to these iconic cards. With Girls Don’t Sync and Conducta joining the celebrations at our Manchester events, we’re bringing art and music together. We can’t wait to see people heading out into the city, hunting down the cards and getting involved.”

The hunt will remain active until Fri 27 Nov, with winners announced on Mon 30 Nov. For full details of the treasure hunt and its prizes, visit the Desperados WEBSITE. Registration for the Manchester event at YES is available HERE.