This summer marks the close of Recoverist Curators: Reimagining the World We Live In, our first year-long exhibition and a ground-breaking moment for Portraits of Recovery.
Ahead of the exhibitions’ close on 5 July, there’s the opportunity to see and learn more about the exhibition via our public program. Artist Melanie Manchots’ film STEPHEN will be screened with a Q&A after to further explore themes of recovery. Take a last exhibition tour with three Recoverist curators. As well as joining us for a workshop with Recoverist Curator Penny, on the subject of ‘home,’ celebrating Refugee Month and Pride.
Recoverist Curators invited six people in recovery ( Recoverists) to reinterpret the Whitworth’s collection through a unique lens.
Over the course of twelve months, six people in recovery from substance use; Anastasia, Chanje, Paul, Penny, Annie, Dom P. and Dominic B, took part in a series of artist led workshops and specialist training sessions at the Whitworth. Together, they explored the gallery’s collection, learning about curatorial practice and the social context of recovery. From this engagement, the group selected more than twenty‑five works by artists such as Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin, David Hockney and Wolfgang Tillmans. Each choice was guided by a “Recoverist lens,” a way of seeing that prioritises hope, transformation and the ordinary joys of rebuilding a life. The curators also contributed their own testimonies, personal artefacts and audio recordings, which sit alongside the historic artworks. The result is a show that does not merely illustrate recovery, but actively re‑narrates it, placing lived experience at the very centre of the gallery
Mark Prest, Founder, & CEO Portraits of Recovery says:
“Recoverist Curators breaks new ground by opening urgent conversations on recovery, self-representation and cultural power. It comes from a radical belief: that people should speak for themselves and hold agency to creatively shape their story. Through this landmark partnership with the Whitworth, and across a year–long exhibition and events programme, we’ve made space for Recoverist’s to be visually seen and fully heard – as cultural producers and change-makers. In doing this, Recoverist Curators doesn’t simply challenge a dominant narrative, it begins to dismantle it, making visible the beauty, strength, resilience and powerful social value that people and their recovery bring to the world”.
Ed Watts, Artistic Director at the Whitworth, shared his reflections on the exhibition:
“Recoverist Curators has powerfully demonstrated how cultural spaces can nurture connection, creativity, and collective care when lived experience is centred and valued. As the remaining events unfold, we’re excited not only by what has been achieved, but by the conversations, partnerships, and possibilities that continue to emerge through our ongoing work with Portraits of Recovery. Recoverist Curators leaves a lasting legacy in how we think about participation, research, civic practice, and the role of cultural institutions in nurturing collective care and agency.”
This unique exhibition is part of our broader Chaordic programme, a three-year commissioning partnership led by Portraits of Recovery with, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Whitworth. The aim is to affect ongoing change within cultural programming that reflects the needs of people and communities in recovery.
Visitor Comments:
Comment cards were at the heart of the exhibition, for visitors to connect and share their thoughts with us. We found reading their thoughts, experiences and sentiments inspiring, and hope you do too:
Don’t miss your chance to see this landmark exhibition.