Matthew Bamber: Dream Home

28 March – 9 June 2024

Matthew Bamber explores themes of memory and trauma, greed and power, queerness, and identity in his work. Bamber operates within the framework of our image-saturated world, manipulating already altered images to pose new questions about ways of looking. The exhibition showcases two distinct bodies of work, namely Dream Home and GM Series, spanning across the two floors. 

Dream Home brings together a collection of works around the idea of ‘queer domesticity’ creating snapshots of the artist’s home as a site for identity construction. These artworks detail sentimental objects, everyday utensils, bric-a-brac, and pieces made by Bamber, selected from an intimate archive of material objects built up over a lifetime. Each piece focuses on a different area within the household, such as the bathroom, the most private space in Bamber’s home. 

With the addition of three new pieces, the GM series explores various themes related to the LGBTQIA+ community and its broad recent history. Drawing inspiration from his personal memories, extensive research into queer theories, and sociological studies. Bamber’s approach to making this work involved an interest in understanding and processing this overwhelming wealth of information. Each artwork within the series revolves around themes like shame, ‘outness’, family values, and surveillance, for which Bamber collected related imagery.

Image Credit: Matthew Bamber, part of Dream Home (Sleep), 2023

Further information:

• Opening times: Monday  – Saturday 12:00 pm – 8:00pm;  Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
• Location: HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place Manchester M15 4FN. Tel: 0161 228 7621
• Getting there: By Bus – 256 bus from Piccadilly Gardens stops on Medlock Street -or use the free Metroshuttle buses; By Metrolink – Deansgate-Castlefield is the nearest Metrolink stop; By Rail – nearest  stations are Deansgate and Oxford Road; By car – nearest car park is Q-Park at First Street (next door to HOME)
• Free entry