True Faith explores the ongoing significance and legacy of New Order and Joy Division through the wealth of visual art their music has inspired.

Curated by Matthew Higgs, Director of White Columns, New York and author and film-maker Jon Savage with archivist Johan Kugelberg, True Faith is centred on four decades’ worth of extraordinary contemporary works from artists including Julian Schnabel, Jeremy Deller, Liam Gillick, Mark Leckey, Glenn Brown and Slater Bradley, all directly inspired by the two groups.

Also featuring Peter Saville’s seminal cover designs, plus performance films, music videos, fashion and posters from John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger, Lawrence Weiner, Jonathan Demme, Robert Longo, Raf Simons and Kathryn Bigelow, True Faith provides a unique perspective on these two most iconic and influential Manchester bands. The exhibition will also present a selection of rarely seen personal materials, including original hand written lyrics.

Joy Division was formed in 1976 in Salford by guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner and bass player Peter Hook. Singer Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris completed the line-up. After Curtis’ death in 1980 the remaining members, together with Gillian Gilbert, formed New Order, becoming one of the most influential bands of the decade.

In parallel to the exhibition, New Order will take over Stage 1 of Manchester’s iconic Old Granada Studios to play a series of intimate gigs as part of MIF. The shows are created in collaboration with Liam Gillick.

Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and Manchester Art Gallery.

this terrific show is a reminder of how art was at the core of Manchester’s most enigmatic band

Adrian Searle, The Guardian, Tuesday 4 July

Events

Interdependence: We Need to Talk About Community Venue: The Stoller Hall, Hunts Bank, Manchester M3 1DA

Saturday 8 July from 2pm We Need to Talk About Community is part of Interdependence: We Need to Talk, six themed sessions of provocative conversation and new ideas staged every Saturday during MIF17. Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Artistic Director of London’s Serpentine Galleries and an MIF Artistic Advisor will be in conversation with artist Liam Gillick, designer Peter Saville and curator Matthew Higgs to discuss New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes.. and True Faith, two MIF17 projects exploring the ongoing legacy of New Order and Joy Division, to analyse the mercurial chemistry that unites artistic communities. Booking information: visit mif.co.uk

Joy Division Documentary and discussion Venue: HOME, Manchester

Tuesday 11 July, 6pm Featuring the unprecedented participation of all the surviving band members, Jon Savage and Grant Gee’s Joy Division examines the band’s story as depicted through never-before-seen footage, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audio tapes. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director Grant Gee and writer and True Faith Curator Jon Savage, discussing the writing and making of the film and the wider cultural impact of Joy Division and New Order. Booking Information: visit homemcr.org

Dave Haslam and Scott King in-conversation Venue: Manchester Art Gallery

Thursday 20 July, 6-8pm Artist Scott King and DJ/author Dave Haslam discuss the work that Scott has contributed to True Faith, including Scott’s fascination with Ian Curtis, as well as exchanging thoughts on the mythologies and inspiration of Joy Division, New Order, and Factory Records. Booking information: Book tickets here.

Exhibition tours Join us for a tour of the exhibition and discussion of individual artworks Saturday 1 July, 1.15 – 2.15 pm with Matthew Higgs, Director/Senior Curator of White Columns, New York and co-curator of True Faith

Thursday 13th July 1.15 – 2pm with Mat Bancroft , Curatorial Assistant True Faith

Friday 21 July 1.15 – 2pm with Fiona Corridan, Curator: Art and Design, Manchester Art Gallery Free, drop-in events, no need to book

Joy Division walking tours Thursdays, 3, 10 and 24 August from 5.30pm Join Ed Glinert of New Manchester Walks on this walking tour (with musical accompaniment) of Joy Division’s Manchester haunts. £8 fee payable to the guide on the day.

The tour starts at Manchester Art Gallery entrance and lasts approximately two hours. Booking information: Please book via newmanchesterwalks.com

True Faith in the gallery shop

The gallery shop has a range of exclusive and limited edition items including a reissue of 1000 pressings of Joy Division’s Closer in white vinyl and New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies in silver vinyl. We’re also stocking folio box editions of 20 of Kevin Cummins’ legendary Joy Division and New Order images, reproduced as postcards and presented in a hand finished box – made in Manchester.

Also on sale is the exhibition publication with essays by each of the curators and colour images of all works in the show for £19.99. The publication is also available online from Cornerhouse Publications.

Glenn Brown’s limited edition book Joy Division featuring his paintings and drawings referencing the meteoric career of Ian Curtis and Joy Division alongside specially written texts by the novelist Michael Bracewell and the poet Lavinia Greenlaw will also be on sale.

Opening times

Please note, True Faith opens at 10am and closes at 4pm on Friday 30 June

Open daily 10am–5pm, Thursdays 10am–9pm

Exhibition continues after MIF17 until Sun 3 September

#truefaith

Image

Slater B. Bradley Factory Icon 2000/2017 (detail)

Courtesy Slater Bradley Studio, Berlin and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

© Slater B. Bradley

Exhibition paint kindly supplied by Farrow&Ball (Down Pipe No. 26)