Quiet Rebellion @ Dulcimer Bar

9th May – 17th May 2026 | Chorlton Arts Festival

This exhibition took raw fine art out of traditional galleries and put it directly into a real-world Manchester pub. It combined bold, hand-drawn surface patterns with original oil paintings to explore how underground subcultures collide with daily city life.

The Setup & Art

    • Digital to Physical Pattern: I digitally designed a bespoke black-and-white pattern to wrap the furniture and the exhibition backdrop, transforming the raw pub space.
    • Interactive Table Installation: The patterned table invited the public to sit down, look closer, and intimately interact with the art.
    • City Grit & Oil Painting: The original oil paintings depict raw, structured Manchester city scenes. They hang directly over the digital patterns, visually showing the line where chaotic urban nightlife meets clean graphic design.
    • Upcycled Materials: Every structural piece focused on sustainability—using repurposed, patterned everyday furniture as a form of cultural resistance.

The Ideology: Doing It Myself

    • Class & Defiance: Thriving as a working-class artist without corporate backing is an act of rebellion.
    • Rejecting Gatekeepers: The art industry pressures creators to use third-party managers to control the money. I reject this.
    • Weaponizing Skills: I used my own graphic design and marketing background to execute the entire show—from the digital patterns to the flyers—by my own hands.
    • Living on the Line: My practice sits on the boundary between fine art and business. True freedom means owning both the canvas and the platform.

The Journal Project: Public Voices

I left a blank, hand-bound booklet on the interactive table next to a sign asking, “Where do you feel most Free?” Patrons wrote down their raw thoughts, capturing the exact spirit of the show:
  • True Freedom: “Freedom is a lovely concept… being locked up, while having the key to your own cage!”
  • Nostalgia: “When I go back to the village I grew up in with my late grandmother.”
  • Escapism: “I felt most free riding on the back of a motorbike along Highway #1… back in the 90s, when life felt less restrictive.” (Ursula)
  • Perspective: “I am most free when looking outwards on the ocean. We are so insignificant… Enjoy life, breathe.” (Jal)
  • The Venue: “Me and Stan feel the most free in the mountains and at Dulcimers.”
  • The Pulse: “Broooo. Had a good night. Love Dulcimers to bits…” (00:38 AM)