You, Me and the Balloons

I took a trip into Manchester this afternoon to visit Aviva Studios, the arts centre and future hub of the Manchester International Festival still under construction - it is due to be completed this autumn.

Hugely over budget, I have my reservations about whether it is really needed, and whether the building is good enough.

Although the building is still under construction and is not completed, it is in use, and drawing large numbers of people in. A big show is taking place in the huge space that is called “The Warehouse” - an art installation - or series of installations - featuring Yayoi Kasuma’s inflatable artworks. They are enormous, brightly coloured, cartoon-like and totally over the top. There were lots of children running around having a good time, and people taking pics. I guess in 2023 this is what is called an “instagram-able” show, and is why Yayoi Kusama’s work is so popular. Amazingly, she’s 94 years old.

The blip is the entrance room to the main event. Polka dots were everywhere. I could have done with wearing a polka dot mask.,