Last chance: Inside Out – outsider art show at Castlefield Gallery

Inside Out is a major exhibition at Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery. It features pieces by outsider artists, who are not part of the established art world and includes those who are self-taught, or perhaps have a sensibility that is far from the mainstream. The exhibition showcases an eclectic mix of drawings and paintings by artists from around the world. Nick Blinko is best known lead singer of the anarcho-punk band Rudimentary Peni. He is also a self-taught artist whose work reflects his experiences with mental illness. Mehrdad Rashidi was forced to leave his native Iran in the early 1980s for political reasons. Ten years ago, he began to draw nostalgic memories of his homeland, and since then his work has been recognised with several awards. South African Marlene Steyn creates intricate tapestry-like paintings which reference psychoanalysis and mythology. The aim of Inside Out is to highlight the shared aesthetic intensity of these artists, and also to consider what it really means to be an ‘outsider’.

Until Sun 24 Apr, 2 Hewitt St., Castlefield, Manchester, M15 4GB, Tel: 0161 832 8034, 1.00pm – 6.00pm (closed Mon and Tue), FREE entry, www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk