The new 3D exhibition by renowned local artist Stanley Chow is on display from now until October
Just launched today (Monday 3 August), ‘MCR Made’ - a free art installation featuring Mancunian icons made larger than life by internationally acclaimed local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow - has landed at Manchester Arndale, transforming the shopping centre into a walk-through exhibition.
The giant inflatable figures feature some of the city’s biggest figures that have helped shape Manchester’s identity, from fearless suffragettes to football heroes.
Running until 24 October, visitors can follow the free trail throughout Manchester Arndale, discovering 13 towering inflatable portraits (up to six metres in length) suspended across the Centre.
Among the famous Mancunians brought to life are Liam and Noel Gallagher, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing, L.S. Lowry, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne, Aitch, and a host of trailblazers whose influence continues to define the city - and the world - today.
As part of MCR Made, Stanley has illustrated an exclusive new portrait of MP Ellen Wilkinson. Born in Manchester in 1891, Ellen Wilkinson was a suffragette, women's rights campaigner and the first female Education Secretary in the British cabinet. Ellen's legacy of fighting for girls' right to an education is honoured as part of the 'Ask for Ellen' initiative at Manchester Arndale. The initiative offers free sanitary products to those in need, and was launched in 2022 in response to research which showed that a high percentage of girls in the UK were missing school through period poverty.
Speaking of the exhibition, Stanley Chow says: "The Arndale Centre for me is my Mecca, and I'm sure it is for so many people from Manchester. I'm old enough to remember when it first opened as a shopping centre nearly 50 years ago, and I haven't stopped coming here since. I'm a proud Mancunian, so I was very flattered and touched to be asked to do this. Art needs to be seen everywhere, and not always necessarily in a gallery. I can't think of a better place for as many people as possible from all walks of life to be able to see my work presented this way.
The exhibition feels particularly at home inside Manchester Arndale, itself a Manchester institution that has been woven into the city's fabric for almost five decades. The shopping centre provides the perfect backdrop for celebrating Manchester, its creativity and the iconic figures behind its global reputation."
Manchester Arndale will also be giving visitors the chance to own a piece of MCR Made, with 26 limited edition A4 prints signed by Stanley Chow up for grabs. Two prints of each icon have been produced, with winners allocated their artwork at random. To enter, simply follow @manchesterarndale on Instagram and like the competition post.
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