Manchester International Festival (MIF) 2025: Santiago Yahuarcani, FAFSWAG, An Inheritance, Football City Art United

The binannual multi-arts festival has many different strands and the Bird was at the opening and there’s still a week to go…

FOR SHEER range and diversity, Manchester International Festival has much to offer and that was abundantly apparent when we attended a spectacular action packed first day…

Ending formally on July 20 (next Sunday), we were able to ask Low Kee Hong, creative director of Factory International, the arts organisation that produces the festival, what he made of that first day in the glorious sunshine (on Thursday, July 3).

Unsurprisingly, ‘The Herds’ were a particular personal highlight for him – they certainly brought the crowds out… thousands were in the centre of Manchester to witness the procession of many life size animal puppets as they wended their way from the Congo Basin (their home) to the streets of Manchester, Rochdale and Wigan.

The procession ended on Saturday (5) and the animals in theory are now on the way to the Antarctic. It was fun and a way of reminding everyone that we share a planet with other creatures.

For us, the particular personal highlight was the art gallery exhibition of Santiago Yahuarcani and his ‘The Beginning of Knowledge’ – his first international solo and it will be at The Whitworth until January 4 next year.

An indigenous artist, activist and leader from northern Peru and from the Almeni (White Heron) clan of the Uitoto people, his works, which he makes along with his family – wife and children – is fanstastical in all senses of the word.

Vivid, striking, colourful and bold, they are produced when he communes with the spirits – yes, intoxicants are imbibed and he communicates with those (theoretically) from another realm.

To the rationalist that might seem slightly absurd, but his works also remind The Bird that Colonialism largely brought with it: disdain, disrespect and violence of all sorts to communities who were mostly living peacefully and successfully before the arrival of ‘the white man’. Europeans imposed their sense of rationality on others and expected everyone to fall in line or face the consequences. These days, there is, we hope, a better sense of the shared human experience on all sides.

Yahuarcani’s art reminds us that the world is richer, more colourful and interesting than what we can always explain and conceptualise verbally.

In his world, knowledge and wisdom are passed down through generations verbally – there is no written text.

As Hong pointed out in his introduction – to Fale Sa/Sacred House (at Home Cinema) – there is another way to think about this encounter – between Europeans and pretty much everyone else – other than and beyond the violence it brought (see our video interview – link below).

Anger and retribution might be obvious emotional responses – but Hong imaginatively asks us to ‘dream differently’ – to come to this ‘confrontation’ in a different way – perhaps of healing, redemption and renewed understanding that there is only ONE human race and we have only ONE earth/planet (for now) to ensure our survival and that we must learn from each other – wisdom is not confined historically or ethnically to Europeans alone.

In a similar vein and again prompted by the Bird noticing how emotionally invested Hong was when introducing Fale Sa – the exhibition showcasing the work of FAFSWAG – a collective of Queer and indigenous artists mainly from New Zealand via the islands, including Samoa, in the region of Oceania. Humorously, they say they are both their ancestors’ dream and worst nightmare.

Its confidence, variety and beauty – the water walls are particularly effecting (see a clip in our video interview) – illustrate that there is much to learn if we are open and receptive to those with different perceptions and ideas – and all non-threatening.

At the other end of things in some ways is ‘An Inheritance’ simply because of the age of those engaged in this exhibition. They are all local primary school children – more than 500 – were asked what would you want to tell your counterparts in 2025 about Manchester and the world you live in. There’s a huge variety of objects, statements and messages and there’s a video also of some children addressing the children of 2125. Artists Andy Field, Beckie Darlington and Rosebel Tan have helped guide and shape ‘An Inheritance’. It is on till the early winter (see listing below). There is much humour and children often express an unfiltered wisdom…

Also on our itinerary and where it all started was at Factory International’s home – Aviva Studios – now fully functional – it is home to what will be for many visitors – the exhibition that says something to them about the(ir) city.

Titled, ‘Football City Art United’, it manages to encompass the names of both famous football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Both have been among the country’s most successful and former Manchester United player and Spain international Juan Mata along with co-curators from the art world, Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Gallery in London) and Josh Willdigg, has put together an intriguing, interactive display, among which holds the work and ideas of one Eric Cantona, the player most widely associated with Manchester United’s resurgence and domination in the 1990s after a long drought. More in our Instagram posts including interviews with ex pro Edgar Davids and London-based artist Alvaro Barrington (See below).

Our final stop on the day (July 3) was the show, ‘A Single Man’.

A ballet dance-musical, it was quite different to anything acv usually sees. A new work and based on writer Christopher Isherwood’s (1904-86) novel of the same name, it brought Ed Watson, former Royal Ballet Principal back to the stage in the lead part and has John Grant live singing.

The dance and the production was superb – the singing and the lyrics were less consistently brilliant but the set almost forgives everything. It finished its short run last Sunday (July 6).

The afterparty was a grand affair and the fine weather helped – there is an outside and covered stage area adjacent to Aviva Studios and food and drink flowed into the early hours, we understand.

On Friday (July 4) we set off to meet Shilpa Gupta and her innovative and pioneering (it seemed that way to us) sound & light installation. ‘You are the place’. It is both local and outward looking – and we will be devoting a whole page to it next week… (hurry though it finishes its run on July 20).

If you’re going to Manchester or planning to be in the town for something else, make time to see something and get a flavour of MIF – something with this level of range and variety and international is rare!

MIF 2025 Reel
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMASsYQiObs/

Football City Art United

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMATcbVCcAE/

Ex pro Juan Mata and co-curator Football City Art United
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMATcbVCcAE/

Ex pro Edgar Davids
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMAW_1EC756/

Artist Alvaro Barrington
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMAYUFEiskV/

Listings
Shilpa Gupta – You Are The Place – RISE Inavate Centre, Smith St, Rochdale OL16 1YH (FREE ENTRY)
https://factoryinternational.org/mif25-venue-access-information/rise-inavate-centre/

Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge until January 4 2026 (FREE ENTRY)
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER
https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/santiago-yahuarcani/

FALE SĀ/ SACRED HOUSE
Home, Tony Wilson Place, First Street, Manchester M15 4FN Until July 20
https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/fafswag-fale-sa-sacred-house/

An Inheritance until November 2 (FREE ENTRY)
Gallery Space 2, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosely Street, Manchester, M2 3JL
https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/an-inheritance/

Football City, Art United until August 24
North Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/the-trequartista-football-city-art-united/

All listings – https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/manchester-international-festival-2025/