Anthony Marn’s exhibition ‘The Space Left Behind’ in 2020 portrayed the moment his parents’ took their own lives and the effect it had on his childhood. But just a week after the exhibition opened Covid hit and the gallery was forced to close. So we’ve invited Anthony back to reflect on his original theme and expand it by exploring his very earliest memories.
Anthony’s new exhibition "‘Seasons in the Sun” tells the story of growing up in 1970s Manchester, a sunny place filled with fun and laughter; football in the streets, chippy teas on Fridays and the cinema on aSaturday morning. It may only be a generation ago, but it’s hard to imagine just how simple our childhoods used to be.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
“The concept of “nostalgia” in the contemporary art world has long been out of fashion, derided by critics as revisionary and without merit. But I strongly disagree.
Anthony’s nostalgic take on 1970s Manchester is so much more than just an exercise in romantic reminiscence, it’s a window into a time before technology ruled our lives. Although most of the paintings are set in and around Manchester, Millbrook and Ashton-under-Lyne in the early 1970s, there’s little evidence of the social and political upheaval that Britain, and particularly the north of England, was undergoing at that time.
And for me, that’s the crux of the exhibition, it explores a time when childhood was truly innocent and shielded from darker forces of society. It was a unique moment in the lives of British children, freed from the shackles of a Victorian patriarchal family unit, yet not influenced by the adult world around them. Anthony’s paintings are all the more poignant because they are viewed with the knowledge of what was to follow, a generation of children whose lives are filled 24/7 with social media, gaming, television, after-school clubs, competitive sport, parties and hobbies.
For anyone over 40-years-old, Anthony’s exhibition is a joyous reminder of how much free time we actually had, and how much imagination it took to fill it.”
Julian Bovis, Curator, April 2022
If you’ve been affected by any themes from this exhibition you can access help and advice from Rochdale, Oldham and District Samaritans on 0330 094 5717 or the Oldham branch of Andy’s
Man Club at www.andysmanclub.co.uk #itsoktotalk