One of the largest brand-new cultural venues in the UK in years has debuted with an eye-catching, immersive, and Instagram-friendly array of enormous inflatable multi-colored sculptures.
Popular Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama created the enormous polka-dot-covered girls, dogs, and pumpkins.
Her exhibition is the first open display at Manchester's Aviva Studios, which occupy the former Granada TV studios' location.
The £211 million venue has run four years behind schedule and over budget by £133 million.
Since the Tate Modern in London opened its doors in 2000, it is said to be the largest new national cultural project.
The Kusama exhibition and other events for the Manchester International Festival began on Thursday, but the building is still not finished; the official opening is scheduled for October.
The venue is expected to become popular right away thanks to Kusama's towering, cartoon-like creations, which have gained enormous worldwide acclaim.
The 94-year-old artist's work commands the highest prices of any living female artist, and more than five million people saw a global series of her exhibitions that began a decade ago.
Her creations fill Manchester's Aviva Studios, a space that resembles a warehouse and can accommodate up to 5,000 spectators for performances or art installations.
Director of operations and artistic John McGrath said, "It's great to have people in here.". It's amazing how far the builders have gotten it, and it's a real joy to be able to fill the warehouse with a sizable and exceptional art exhibit. ".
The location also has a more traditional theater with 1,600 seats and 2,000 standing room only.
With a three-night residency this weekend, US pop star and actress Janelle Monae was slated to dedicate that hall. However, she canceled due to "scheduling conflicts," which dealt a blow to the opening festivities.
Singer Angelique Kidjo, a Grammy Award winner, will now take the stage as the show's opening act on Tuesday.
The location was "unique," according to McGrath. There isn't a space like this in London or anywhere else, the man claimed, because it gives artists the space and flexibility they need to produce fresh work. ".
It is intended to provide the city with a cultural venue to compete with others around the globe, garner prestige, and draw tourists.
Bev Craig, the head of the city council, said: "You can look at brilliant buildings across the world that drove tourism and reputation," noting that it had been compared to Bilbao's Guggenheim "in terms of iconic buildings.".
Its budget is "vast," she acknowledged. The government has contributed the other half, with the council contributing about half.
With the aid of a sponsorship agreement with the world's largest insurer, Aviva, the council has recovered about £35 million. Last week, the corporate name of the partnership was revealed, to mixed reviews.
Ellen van Loon of the architectural firm OMA created the structure.
According to Craig, the council's funds came from the fund set aside for longer-term capital projects rather than its budget for daily operations.
"This isn't cutting back on services to make room for cultural investments. There is no either/or here. When it comes to funding initiatives and projects that will benefit and advance our city, we have a long-term perspective.
"You have to do both in the modern world, where council budgets have been tight. ".
According to projections from the venue, over a ten-year period, Aviva Studios will generate or support 1,500 jobs and £1.1bn for the economy.
Joshi Herrmann, the creator and editor of the Manchester newsletter The Mill, believes that given its financial limitations, it will need to win over the community.
It must play a significant role in daily life in the city, he insisted. I don't believe there is a wave of positivity or negativity surrounding it. The majority of people, in my opinion, are unaware of it, and those who are aware of it are somewhat perplexed as to what it is.
"There are definably those who argue that if we're going to spend that much on cultural venues, it should be distributed [between a number of projects.
"A lot of people are baffled as to how the council can afford to invest that much money when it's also renovating the Town Hall and undertaking other significant capital projects.
"However, I don't sense widespread outrage over the price. Mancunians are generally pretty pragmatists, and they are aware that Covid made construction more challenging and that these large venues always cost more than anticipated and take longer than anticipated.
"I just think people are curious about what this thing is and what it will deliver. ".
With "dance, music, and visual effects," director Danny Boyle will stage a live adaptation of The Matrix for the venue's official opening in October.
If the English National Opera decides to relocate from London to Manchester, Aviva Studios could be one venue in addition to The Lowry in Salford for the opera company.
The location will also serve as a permanent residence for Factory International, the group in charge of organizing the Manchester International Festival. Every other year, a number of locations throughout the city are taken over by the festival.
