Stumbled into Manchester Art Gallery today and came across the Raqib Shaw exhibition. The exhibition started outside the gallery and artworks were placed throughout permanent collection as well as in its own exhibition space.

Shaw’s work looks beautiful at first glance with bright colours and jewel encrusted canvases. However his work depicts a disturbing world of terrifying mythical beasts and the vicious reality of nature itself.

Nature being woven into the building and its collections:

Beautiful canvases from the exhibition of mystical animals and warrior monkeys:

A piece specially created by Shaw in response to a work by George Stubb’s  Cheetah and Stag with Two Indians, stands opposite its inspiration. Shaw had been moved by Stubb’s work since he was young and the piece could be seen as a contrast between the changing history in India’s rule.

While at the exhibition I couldn’t help but be drawn to similarities with the themes…