Last chance: Chantal Joffe art exhibition at The Lowry

‘Like Picasso reinvented in manga’ is how one critic described the work of British artist Chantal Joffe and a new exhibition, coming to the Lowry from May, will showcase her unusual figurative works. Working with oil paints, Joffe depicts the human body – mostly women and girls – with a mixture of humour and intimacy. Inspired by photographers such as Diane Arbus, she uses source images from family photos, advertising, fashion magazines, and even pornography. Not caring about any stray drips, she paints roughly and in broad strokes. Some of her canvasses are so big that scaffolding is needed to work on them. She introduces distortions into the source material, including odd bodily proportions, such as big heads and wonky eyes. The exhibition launches at the same time as Week 53, the Lowry’s biennial cross-arts festival, read our full preview here.

Sat 19 May – Sun 2 Sep, The Lowry Galleries, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, Tel: 0843 208 6000, 10am – 5pm, FREE, www.thelowry.com/chantal-joffe