Hull has earned itself a bit of a reputation for culture, don’t you know? And it is certainly living up to its reputation with plenty of art exhibitions opening in recent weeks. And not only are they all fantastic, they are also free.
With half-term on the horizon, why not take a culture tour around Hull?
Here’s our guide to a day of culture:
Sixteen
Hull Central Library
Until Saturday 29 June
Free
Sixteen explores the dreams, hopes and fears of today’s 16-year-olds.
If you think libraries are just about books, you are wrong … so wrong. Hull Central Library has a diverse programme of events and exhibitions throughout the year (Harry Potter’s owl and international bands have all rocked up to the library in the past 12 months, albeit it to sightly different audiences) and on Saturday, its latest exhibition, Sixteen, opened. The raw photography exhibition is a real heartstring-tugger. It looks at the world through the eyes of today’s 16-year-olds and shares their hopes and fears.
Microbes and Is This Planet Earth?
Ferens Art Gallery
Microbes until Sunday 1 September, Is This Planet Earth? until Sunday 28 July
Free
Microbes is a family-friendly art installation.
Ferens has had one heck of a past few years – from a £5.2m refurbishment to hosting the Turner Prize and even a Clangers exhibition. Ferens refuses to drop the pace, though, and in the last couple of weeks, two fantastic exhibitions have opened. Microbes and Is This Planet Earth share a science theme, but the similarities stop there. Microbes is one for the kids. The inflatable exhibition animates the tiny world of micro organisms, changing bacteria (maybe for the first time …) into big, colourful and a lot of fun. Nip across the gallery (and away from the all the happy children) and see Is This Planet Earth?, an offering to aliens who visit us in the future. This bizarre and brilliant exhibition brings together the diverse work of nine artists.
A Tittle-Tattle Tell-a-Tale Heart
Humber Street Gallery
Until Sunday 30 June
Free
A Tittle-Tattle Tell-a-Tale Heart is on at Humber Street Gallery.
A Tittle-Tattle Tell-a-Tale Heart is not easy to say, but hard not to love. Athena Papadopoulos is a name you could be hearing an awful lot about in the next few years. The artist has chosen Hull as the location for her first major UK installation. The exhibition is loosely based on her novel of the same title. It attacks the senses and grabs your attention from start to finish.
