The John Rylands Library is opening a new exhibition in Spinningfields to mark Manchester Pride 2025 in collaboration with photographers Jon Shard and Stuart Linden Rhodes
From Monday, 18 August explore Come Out Tonight: queer 90s nightlife an exhibition capturing the energy and growth of the queer scene of the early 1990s. Displayed along The Avenue in Spinningfields, the photographs celebrate 90s queer nights in Manchester and across the country revealing a thriving, dynamic and inclusive community.
Celebrate more queer stories by visiting The Secret Public: LGBTQ pop 1955-1985, a free exhibition at The John Rylands Library. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.
The photographs capture the queer scene of the early 1990s. These images show a thriving, dynamic and inclusive community, a world where people could express and be themselves. They document a scene growing in size and confidence with images reflecting joy, love and freedom.
Lindens’ images show nights across the country from Manchester to Wakefield, Liverpool to Birmingham, Derby to Blackpool. Jon Shard’s photographs focus on the legendary Flesh night at The Haçienda in Manchester. Monthly, and on a Wednesday, the night was a sell out and set a template for a new kind of queer night.
Jon Shard is renowned for his visually distinguished photography across advertising, sport and portraiture. His photographs of Flesh have become some of the most recognisable images of The Haçienda and have been exhibited globally. He has work in the permanent collection of The National Portrait Gallery.
Stuart Linden Rhodes was the roving reporter for All Points North and Gay Times during the early to mid-1990s, his columns for those magazines were entitled: Out & About with Linden. In November 2024, three of Stuart’s photographs were added to Manchester Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
Work by both photographers forms part of the collection at The John Rylands Library.
Explore more queer stories in The Secret Public: LGBTQ pop 1955-1985, a free exhibition at The John Rylands Library. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.
Exhibition runs from 18th August – 5th October 2025
