This publication of drawings and works on (and with) paper offers a small sample of contemporary work from the dynamic and diverse contemporary art scene of Manchester, England, documented in an exhibition at the Galleri s.e, Bergen, Norway in 2004 and travelling to the Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, in April 2005.

Beneath the otherwise singular and highly individual approaches of the artists, the works share a poetic sense of ‘something dark’ – from Vincent’s reductive treatment of momentous issues in sheet music and Osbaldeston’s hand-made art fanzines, to Mackintosh’s bleak and disturbing ink sketches, Büchler’s illegible diary and Hughes’ obsessive play with unremarkable everyday materials. This ‘darkness’ contrasts with the extreme economy, immediacy and formal elegance of the means by which it is expressed. It creates a tension between an existential pathos and anxiety, and the often ambiguous humour which is equally characteristic of the work.

Published by i3/Aye-Aye Books.