Chester Tenneson
Lecturer
Fine Art
Chester is a Senior Lecturer and artist leading Fine Art practice on BA Fine Art & Art History. He is also Programme Leader for the Art, Theory and Practice pathways which encapsulates BA Fine Art & Art History and BA Art History & Curating.
Chester’s research by practice is conceptually led by language, with outputs in painting, performance and sculpture. His research-led teaching focuses on text, humour, Queerness, contemporary art and art history, with a focus on pedagogical Queer inclusion and belonging. He co-authors the research project 'Queer Painting' with Lecturer and artist Katie Tomlinson.
Recent papers include 'On Queer Belonging in Art School: A collaboratively authored paper on Chester Tenneson's undergraduate Fine Art Queer Research Group (QRG), based at Manchester School of Art, UK.', Synteesi journal, University of the Arts Helsinki, 2026 and 'Queer Painting: On Horrible Histories', Histories and Painting: Contemporary Negotiations, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, Ireland, 2026. He has also exhibited widely with recent exhibitions including 'Just Browsing', Bluecoat, Liverpool; '(Un)Defining Queer', Whitworth, Manchester and 'Queer Art(ists) Now', Space Station Sixty-Five, London.
Research
Exhibitions
Tenneson, C., Bracey, A., Crowley, G., David, K., Eden, J., Ferguson, C., Fortnum, R., Gordon, M., Hampsey, A., McGonigal, J., McKenzie, D., Mieves, C., Osbaldeston, D., Palin, T., Pratt, K., Ruocco, A., Ryan, D., Shaw, G., Sturgis, D., Williams, A., Worm, 2026. PainterWriter, Oceans Apart, Salford, 11/9/2026 - 3/10/2026.
Tenneson, C., 2025. Just Browsing, Bluecoat, Liverpool, 25/10/2025 - 12/4/2026.
Tenneson, C., 2025. Stick 'em Up!, The Birley, Preston, 22/3/2025 - 12/4/2025.
Tenneson, C., 2023. (Un)Defining Queer, The Whitworth, Manchester, 27/1/2023 - 3/12/2023.
Tenneson, C., 2023. Questioning the Form, Manchester Poetry Library, 4/2/2023 - 1/4/2023.
Tenneson, C., 2023. WINK WINK, The Whitaker, Rossendale, 18/5/2023 - 23/7/2023.
Tenneson, C., 2022. Archives at Play, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, 6/3/2022 - 24/4/2022.
Tenneson, C., 2022. Fayre Share Fayre, The Whitworth, Manchester, 19/5/2022 - 4/9/2022.
Tenneson, C., 2022. Intersections, Paradise Works, Salford, 20/5/2022 - 21/7/2022.
Tenneson, C., 2022. Queer Art(ists) Now 2022, Space Station Sixty-Five, London, 17/9/2022 - 8/10/2022.
Tenneson, C., Gratrix, G., 2021. I don't want to thank you, you can just..., CBS Gallery, Liverpool, 24/6/2021 - 10/7/2021.
Tenneson, C., Clayton, Z., 2021. Interruptions: Queer Reflections, Holden Gallery, Manchester, 21/10/2021 - 21/10/2021.
Tenneson, C., 2020. Enough is Definitely Enough, Pineapple Black, Middlesborough, 24/9/2020 - 17/10/2020.
Tenneson, C., 2019. Beautiful and Brutal, Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, 20/9/2019 - 24/11/2019.
Tenneson, C., 2019. Half of two days of everything, Paradise Works, Salford, 29/3/2019 - 14/4/2019.
Artefacts
Tenneson, C., Tomlinson, K., 2025. 'Queer British Painting: On Gender (2015 - 2025)'.
Performances
Tenneson, C., 2022. 'Bright lights from giant wheels', Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, 19/3/2022.
Tenneson, C., 2022. 'Dance with me / don't dance with me', Manchester Contemporary Art Fair, 4/11/2022.
Books
, 2024. '(UN)DEFINING QUEER Queering the Constituent Museum'.
Dukes, T., 2024. 'Archives at Play'.
Bracey, A., 2021. '978-1-9162759-9-7'.
Tenneson, C., 2020. 'Across the Pond Zine'.
Media
Tenneson, C., 2022. 'Bunker Talk #71'.
Tenneson, C., 2020. 'Trans Up North 2020: Labels and Fables - A Trans History of the Artwork of Chester Tenneson'.
Internet Publications
Tenneson, C., Clayton, Z., 2020. 'Found in Translation'.
Journal Articles
Tenneson, C., Tomlinson, K., 2026. 'On Queer Belonging in Art School: A collaboratively authored paper on Chester Tenneson's undergraduate Fine Art Queer Research Group (QRG), based at Manchester School of Art, UK.', Synteesi journal.
Non-Peer Reviewed Articles
Burns, S., 2026. 'This is tomorrow: Chester Tenneson'.
Conference Papers
Tenneson, C., Tomlinson, K., 2026. 'On Queer Belonging in Art School: Queer Research Group (QRG)', Artist Pedagogy and Artistic Thinking: Perspectives and Practices, University of the Arts, Helsinki, 27/8/2026 - 29/8/2026.
Tenneson, C., Tomlinson, K., 2026. 'Queer Painting: On Horrible Histories', Histories and Painting: Contemporary Negotiations, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, Ireland, 27/3/2026 - 27/3/2026.
Presentations
Tenneson, C., 2023. 'Exploring Museums and Galleries as Queer Spaces', The Whitaker, Rossendale.
Tenneson, C., 2023. 'Spineless Wonders: The Zine, Type And Script - Queer Zines', Online.
Tenneson, C., 2021. 'Queer Art & Now', Online - affiliated with Liverpool John Moores University.
Tenneson, C., 2020. 'Correspondance/Correspondence MCR-MTL', Online - hosted by Vidéographe, Montreal, Canada.
Tenneson, C., Clayton, Z., 2020. 'Found in Translation - In conversation with Ria Brodell, Ellis Jackson Kroese, Buzz Slutzky and Evan Swartz', Online.