Fuel and Manchester Museum present new exhibition Stained Metal

Fuel and Manchester Museum present Stained Metal, a new exhibition conceived by Inua Ellams, exploring the personal and global impact of the British Empire through the journey of a medal around the world. 

In 2023, Inua Ellams was awarded an MBE. Two years later, he posted his medal to four corners of the former British Empire, inviting artists to respond to it. 

The medal travelled to Benin City, where Inua worked with a traditional bronze caster to create a new medal incorporating Benin’s cultural iconography and Nigeria’s history. 

Stained Metal brings together these new artistic commissions with objects from Inua’s private collection and the collection Manchester Museum cares for, tracing connections between people, places and histories. 

Presenting a range of voices and perspectives, the exhibition asks visitors to consider the complexities, contradictions and human experiences behind the objects on display. It invites curiosity, reflection and conversation about the ways identities are shaped by large historical forces, and how the legacies of empire continue to resonate in the present. 

Manchester Museum | 27 February – 6 June 2027 

Learn more here.