Every Brushstroke Tells a Story. Every Face Reflects His Image.
Every generation leaves behind its art — its stories painted, sculpted, sung, or captured in light. But few exhibitions carry a message as timeless and tender as this one:We are all made in the image of God.
As part of the upcoming Manchester ICCT Gathering (February 5–6, 2026), the “Made in the Image of God” Intercultural Art Exhibition will bring together artists from different cultural backgrounds to celebrate the beauty of our shared humanity. It will be a space where creativity meets theology, and art becomes a bridge between people, cultures, and faith.
Seeing Through God’s Eyes
The idea behind the exhibition is simple yet profound — every brushstroke tells a story, and every face reflects His image.When we look at one another through the lens of God’s creativity, we see more than colour, heritage, or difference. We see divine fingerprints.
Paul Hobbs
Paul Hobbs makes painting and sculpture that deals with social and spiritual issues from a Christian perspective.
Through a mixture of materials, layering, surprise and play, Paul’s work stimulates discussion about human values and dignity, and responsibility and service to others. It seeks to show the relevance of Jesus to contemporary concerns, asking, ‘If we believe this from the Bible, how does it relate to what we read in the newspaper? If we see this in the news, has God’s word got anything to say?’ and to draw the outsider to begin to take Jesus Christ seriously.
Themes include famine, inequality, fatherhood, old age, sexuality, our capacity for violence, suffering, the Beatitudes and the Trinity. There is also a collection of shoes and stories from believers all around the world, and a series on contemporary martyrdom.
Paul exhibits in a wide range of venues—frequently in schools and churches—leading discussions and engaging people with the gospel through his artwork.
The materials include paint, collage, wood, steel, and assembled objects.
For details please see my website, www.arthobbs.com.
Michelle Ayavoro
Michelle aims to promote positive change, justice and equity through her art and bespoke art workshops. She’s passionate about bringing creativity and inspiration to diverse groups through engaging workshops. With a background in community arts since 2008, co-founder of Creative Hands Foundation 2008-2016 and Director of HerArt CIC, 2016-2022, she believes in the transformative power of art as a tool for connection, expression, and empowerment. Michelle’s work is a process of getting to know ‘self’. She’s on a journey of self-discovery exploring her indigenous roots and connections to Africa through textiles. She creates hand sewn textile portraits of people that she feels a connection with in some way. She finds sewing by hand meditative and she loves working with vibrant colours and patterns. She believes her portrait of ‘Tarana Burke’ speaks for itself. Michelle’s attitude to life was totally transformed when she heard ‘Nina Simones’ interview with a journalist in 1971 who asked ‘What is freedom to you?’. Nina replied, ‘…..Freedom to me is if I could live my life over again, I’d live it with ‘No Fear’. That’s what freedom is to me’. Throughout Michelle’s career, she has designed and delivered a variety of workshops tailored to meet the unique needs of different communities. From painting and textiles to mixed media and digital arts, her workshops encourage participants to explore their creativity in a supportive and inclusive environment. Michelle is committed to fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration among participants, helping them to build confidence in their artistic abilities while connecting with others. She has worked with many organisations across Greater Manchester including The Whitworth, CAN Survive, Manchester Mind, Caribbean and African Health Network, GMMH and Delamere Special School to name a few. Her workshops have been praised for their ability to inspire creativity and promote community engagement.
Elena C
Creating because he creates. Elena enjoys travelling, exploring and experiencing different cultures and people. This all inspires her artwork, and she loves to showcase the beauty and joy found in the corners of the world where she has travelled. In a world that is too often full of darkness and ugliness, Elena loves bringing joy and beauty. She wants her artwork to give hope. Elena mainly uses oil paints as she loves the richness of the colour, the flexibility they have, and the textures they can create. She also loves experimenting and learning new artistic techniques.
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