Book now: Sof’ya Shpurova Low Human Activity exhibition at The Holden Gallery

Deriving from an accumulation of influences from her native country of Russia, artist Sof’ya Shpurova is exhibiting her first solo series of paintings and ceramic sculptures in The Holden Gallery, situated in Manchester’s School of Art. Curated by Professor of Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University, Andrew Hunt, Shpurova’s art combines inspirations from historical Russian icon painting and mysticism with overtly personal references that depict herself in her work. Issues of time and multiple temporalities are an integral element to Shpurova’s paintings, with her methodologies demonstrating a commitment to working at a slow pace, sometimes reworking old paintings through pentimento in multiple layers. Shpurova describes the title of the collection ‘Low Human Activity’ as ‘humorous statement’ that ‘implies a painful awareness of being human and an irreverent insult to the act of painting’. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday, from noon to 6pm, with late openings until 7pm on Thursday.