A Gentle Man (Part II) (1975-2029) by Becky Beasley Exhibition Launch

Becky Beasley

A Gentle Man (Part II) (1975–2029)

13 March 6.30 pm – Late

We warmly invite you to join us for the opening of A Gentle Man (Part II) (1975–2029), taking place across our gallery, throughout the Spring and Summer, featuring the exhibition and including the first stop of this touring exhibition by artist Becky Beasley. The launching evening at QUAD will feature appearances by the artists, a drinks reception, welcome speeches, and music!

QUAD is delighted to present A Gentle Man (Part II) (1975–2029), a major touring exhibition by Becky Beasley.

This exhibition invites visitors into a space shaped by gentleness, attention and care. It asks what it means to slow down, to sit, to listen, to notice, and how our lives are formed through our relationships with others.

Across the gallery, Beasley constructs an immersive interior landscape that unfolds gradually. There are no fixed routes and no single story to follow. Instead, the exhibition encourages visitors to move at their own pace, to rest, return, and allow meaning to emerge over time.

At the heart of the exhibition is a four-part film portrait reflecting on the milestones that shape a life: work, family, chosen family and dying. Drawing on literature, autobiography and personal memory, Beasley explores how we come to understand ourselves through others,  and how art can offer a way of encountering lives beyond our own.

The title, A Gentle Man, gestures toward gentleness not as a fixed identity but as a way of being attentive, open and receptive. In a time often defined by speed and noise, this exhibition offers space for quiet reflection and conversation.

We invite you to spend time here, to sit, read, listen, and return.

Commissioned by QUAD, Bluecoat and John Hansard Gallery, with support from Freelands Foundation and Arts Council England.