From startling photos of the stars above and deep dives into the minds of legendary artists to fascinating, family-friendly journeys through the human body, here are the best exhibitions to see in Manchester throughout 2025.

Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You | Science and Industry Museum (Manchester) | Fri 14 Feb 2025 - Sun 4 Jan 2026 | FREE

The Science and Industry Museum’s latest exhibition invites visitors on an immersive journey through their senses. Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You invites you to dive headfirst into a variety of hands-on experiments that will help shed light on the mysterious ways in which our bodies work.

Take a trip through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot and check in with Dr Chris, Dr X and Dr Ronx from the hit BBC Children’s series Operation Ouch! who appear throughout via video to help visitors understand the science behind the fun.

Liverpool Rd, Manchester M3 4JP
Wild | Manchester Museum | Open now until Sun 1 Jun 2025 | FREE

Featuring an immersive installation, audio, film and interactive elements, as well as an array of natural history collections and artworks, Wild is a stunning exploration of our precarious but optimistic dynamic with the natural world.

The collection transports visitors across a captivating, diverse global topography and a wide array of voices, from Aboriginal elders to academic researchers, to champion the innovative methods used to restore biodiversity and shape a sustainable future environment while challenging how we think about and interact with nature.

Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
40 Years of the Future: Jo McGonigal x Frank Bowling | Castlefield Gallery | Open now until Sun 2 Feb 2025 | FREE

Castlefield Gallery explores fresh and dynamic new ways of thinking about the relationship between painting, sculpture and architecture in 40 Years of the Future: Jo McGonigal x Frank Bowling.

Hosted within the venue’s distinct architect-designed interior, the collection brings together site-specific ‘spatial paintings’ by Jo McGonigal with paintings and sculptures by Sir Frank Bowling, providing a rare opportunity to see works from these two hugely esteemed artists side-by-side.

Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt St, Greater, Manchester M15 4GB
Astronomy Photographer of the Year | Jodrell Bank | Open now until Sun 27 Apr 2025 | Free with general admission

The iconic Jodrell Bank provides a fitting backdrop to the prestigious Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition. The annual competition features some of the world’s greatest space photography, with amateurs and professionals alike contributing.

Photographers from across the globe compete to take home the coveted title, and this year’s winner Andromeda, Unexpected, can be viewed alongside many more runners-up and other highly commended images.

Bomish Ln, Cheshire, Macclesfield SK11 9DW
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away) | Aviva Studios | Open until Sat 25 Jan | From £20

Aviva Studios enters its second year of existence in pretty spectacular style, with a grand journey into the career and mind of legendary artist, David Hockney.

Featuring huge state-of-the-art projections and a revolutionary sound system, Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) invites visitors to experience the world through Hockney’s one-of-a-kind gaze.

After opening at Lightroom in London to rave reviews, this is the first time the show has travelled outside of the capital, offering a rare insight into the legendary artist’s process as you journey through six different chapters of his work.

Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
Jakkai Siributr There’s no Place | The Whitworth | Open now until Sun 16 Mar | Free

In There’s no Place, The Whitworth welcomes the first UK exhibition by acclaimed Thai artist Jakkai Siributr. Building on the gallery’s long history of radical global textile exhibitions, this show offers visitors an intimate look at one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary artists.

The Whitworth’s Project Space will house a host of works exploring the major themes in Siributr’s practice. Moving between Thailand’s political and social histories and personal stories of grief and remembrance, this space will allow viewers to both view and interact with the artist’s intricate, monumental and dynamic work.

Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6ER
Unpicking Couture | Manchester Art Gallery | Open now until Sun 2 Nov 2025 | FREE

Manchester Art Gallery’s spellbinding exhibition Unpicking Couture celebrates groundbreaking moments from the world of fashion.

Told through a collection of stunning pieces from across the last century, the collection features unique creations from the history’s most influential designers and fashion houses, including Christian Dior, Azzedine Alaïa, Cristobal Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Bruce Oldfield and Alexander McQueen.

Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley St, Manchester M2 3JL
Every Line is Me – A celebration of Harold Riley | Salford Museum and Art Gallery | Open now until Sun 27 Apr | Free

Marking one year since the passing of Salford’s own Harold Riley, Salford Museum & Art Gallery fittingly hosts a career-spanning exhibition which unites a variety of Harold’s many disciplines and subject matter, including painting, drawing, digital fusions and photography.

The celebration aims to tell the story of the man behind the art, showing works that portray places and people that were important to him. There are quotes from the artist that help illustrate the person Harold was, the legacy that he leaves behind, and the strong connection he had with the City of Salford.

Crescent, Salford M5 4WU
Local / National / International | The Lowry | Open now until Sun 16 Feb | Free

Not too long ago, Lowry as announced details of the first instalment of a brand-new exhibition series, Local / National / International. The collection brings together three artists who share interests or work in similar mediums in a trio of concurrent solo exhibitions.

Local / National / International champions ambitious work being made in the North of England, as well as bringing exciting artists to Salford for the first time, revealing the similarities and overlaps in their practices.

For the debut iteration, Aliyah Hussain, Paloma Proudfoot, and Renee So all use ceramics as a vehicle for imaginative storytelling, constructing contemporary narratives through objects, tableaus and immersive environments.

The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ
Black in the Game | National Football Museum | Opens Oct 2025 | Free to Manchester residents, £16 otherwise

Coming in October 2025, The National Football Museum’s Black in the Game will provide a platform to share and celebrate football stories and landmark moments involving players with African and Caribbean heritage, including historic trailblazers and contemporary players in today’s game.

The exhibition is co-curated by a representative panel of footballers and academic leaders. A current preview of the exhibition is open in the museum’s Pitch Gallery, titled The Warm Up, it introduces the panel, including players like Kerry Davis, Bruce Dyer, Mary Phillip, Brian Deane and Nikita Parris, as well as respected figures within football, such as Leon Mann and Sagal Abdullahi.

Todd St, Manchester M4 3BG
Songs For The Storm To Come | HOME | Open now until Sun 2 Feb | Free

Award-winning and internationally renowned Greek/British artist Mikhail Karikis addresses the urgency of climate change at HOME.

The immersive sound and multi-screen installation, Songs for the Storm to Come, embraces both science and personal perspectives, honing in on collective and individual responses to the impending transformations of the UK based on forecasts from climate change scientists.

Participants observe maps showing Britain’s transformed geography for 2050 due to rising seawater, and reflect on the social and political changes needed to bring communities together.

2 Tony Wilson Pl, Manchester M15 4FN
Wed 1 Jan - Wed 31 Dec
Words:
Bradley Lengden
Published on:
Mon 23 Dec 2024