Michaela Yearwood-Dan: The Practice of Liberation
17 April – 18 October 2026
Bringing painting, ceramics and sound together into a multidimensional installation, Yearwood-Dan creates a powerfully resonant space dedicated to the ongoing practice of self-transformation and movement towards liberation.
The Whitworth announces The Practice of Liberation, a new exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan. For her first UK institutional museum exhibition, the artist presents a major new commission that transforms the gallery into a layered installation shaped by painting, ceramics and sound.
The exhibition, formed entirely of new work, centres on a series of 14 paintings and six ceramic vessels presented within a multidimensional installation designed by the artist and accompanied by a bespoke musical score by composer Alex Gruz.
Drawing on the aesthetics and symbolism of the Catholic church, Yearwood-Dan creates a powerfully resonant space to examine the intersection of the histories of colonialism and institutional religion through the lens of her own memory and experience - reflecting on the ongoing process of personal and collective liberation.
Using the language of abstraction, Yearwood-Dan’s paintings incorporate fragments of her own diaristic writing alongside adapted and borrowed texts and lyrics. These words move between intimate and political, appearing at varying scales across the canvases. References to writers such as civil rights activist James Baldwin sit alongside the artist’s own reflections, inviting the viewer to consider how the personal and the political intersect in new ways.
To discover more, read the full press release
Exhibition credit: The commission and exhibition are co-produced by the Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Towner Eastbourne and Arnolfini in Bristol, where the exhibition will tour in 2026-27.
Image credit: Michaela Yearwood-Dan, Passio (2026) © Michaela Yearwood-Dan Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Marianne Boesky Gallery Photographer: Deniz Guzel.
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Shop exhibition inspired products
Discover the Michaela Yearwood-Dan collection now available to order online or in-store at the Whitworth Shop.
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