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Last chance to see: Expect the Unexpected exhibition at The Lowry closes this Sunday

An exhibition of work that incorporates chance in its creation closes at The Lowry this Sunday (29 Sept).

 

Expect the Unexpected showcases work by artists including Yoko Ono, Gillian Wearing and Mark Bloomfield and has been on display at the Salford arts centre since June.

 

The exhibition is inspired by a piece of art from 1952 called ‘Four minutes, 33 seconds’ by the American artist, John Cage. That work was a ‘silent’ performance that incorporated ambient noise and audience impinge into the piece – thereby making every single iteration in the 67 years to date totally unique.

 

Ono’s work on display includes a video of ‘Cut Piece’ – one of her early performance pieces in which she sat alone on a stage with a pair of scissors in front of her and invited the audience to take turns cutting off small pieces of her clothing.

 

It is shown alongside Wearing’s iconic ‘Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say’ – a set of photographs of people sharing what was on their mind at the moment she approached them in a busy London street.

 

Films by the Dutch artist, Merel Theloesen, a monumental work by Turner-Prize winning artist Keith Tyson and a photograph of New Year’s Day revellers by Joel Goodman also feature in the exhibition.

 

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “All the artists in Expect the Unexpected are risk-takers and all of the work we feature are, or continue to be, the product of chance. From random encounters with strangers, to accidental consequences of the everyday, this exhibition has shone a spotlight on how chance and spontaneity can be liberating as well as nerve-racking.”

 

The Lowry’s next major exhibition, The State of Us, opens on Sat 9 November and will explore body modifications without boundaries.

 

The Lowry galleries are named The Andrew and Zoe Law Galleries in recognition of the couple’s £1m donation to the arts centre, which is a registered charity.