Michaela Yearwood-Dan
The Practice of Liberation

Michaela Yearwood-Dan 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.

The commission and exhibition is co-produced by Towner Eastbourne, the Whitworth, The University of Manchester, and Arnolfini. The exhibition opens at the Whitworth (17 April to 18 October) and will travel to Arnolfini (27 February to 23 May 2027).

Michaela Yearwood-Dan (b. 1994) lives and works in London. Her practice builds spaces of community, abundance and joy through large-scale painting, works on paper, ceramics, and site-specific mural and sound installations.

Her distinctive visual language draws on Blackness, queerness, femininity and healing rituals, weaving together art historical references and pop culture.

Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati; and Palazzo Monti, Brescia. It is held in collections including the UK Government Art Collection and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. 

Come back soon for any events relating to this exhibition - when announced, the programme will be here and on our What's On page for updates.

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