Saturday Slow Preview: Disc Unknown

Join us for the Saturday Slow Preview of Disc Unknown at Castlefield Gallery! 

United by a shared commitment to supporting and amplifying emerging artists, Castlefield Gallery and Pipeline present Disc Unknown, a solo exhibition by Joe O’Rourke. Joe O’Rourke is currently exhibiting at Pipeline Contemporary from 4 June to 25 July, 2026 in London. O’Rourke will then exhibit at Castlefield Gallery from 2 – 31 August 2026.

Disc Unknown is a solo exhibition of mixed-media paintings that will respond to each gallery space. Presented differently across both venues, the body of work remains conceptually unified. Through shifts in scale and using various materials, found objects, and text, O’Rourke examines how meaning is constructed within painting. The exhibition brings together his ongoing series of DVD-case works alongside larger wall-based and freestanding pieces, guiding viewers through a landscape of recurring motifs, texts, and materials.

Living in Manchester has shaped O’Rourke’s experience of urban environments, influencing his use of materials and themes that reflect urbanisation, labour, and the boundaries between public and private space. His paintings are often inspired by everyday encounters; an overheard conversation or something glimpsed from a bus window. He repurposes found objects as a response to overconsumption and mass-production. This engagement with Manchester and his surroundings roots O’Rourke’s artworks in a specific time and place.

O’Rourke’s proposal was selected through an open call as part of Castlefield Gallery’s commitment to supporting artists with real career-development opportunities as part of its Castlefield Gallery Associates programme, resulting in a record number of submissions from members. United by a shared commitment to amplifying the work and voices of emerging artists, the Castlefield Gallery and Pipeline partnership is a rare platform that connects regional practice to national visibility.