Join the evening for an exclusive first look at Bluecoat’s new exhibitions as part of their current season But Does it Speak?.
Thu 3 Apr, 6-8pm
Joanne Masding and Rowena Harris will continue the season with their exhibitions The Moveable Scene of the Page and Long-Covid and the Culture of Disbelief. Showing alongside is Veronica Watson, who presents a series of portraits in their upstairs gallery.
Free, drop in
Beauty On Paper is an exhibition of drawings on paper created by Wirral based artist, Daniel Halsall.
The works’ subject matter is the classical female form, taking inspiration from artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Henri Matisse. Daniel’s interest in these artists’ work is the way they captured clothing and textiles to add colour and vibrancy to their works.
Daniel has been the in-house artist for Gondwana Records since 2008, working on many album covers and design based projects. He likes to bring over into the artworks what he learned in his design career, and vice versa from his graphic work into his fine art practices.
This show has been made through collaboration with models: Liverpool based potter, Annie Moon and Liverpool musician, Rosa.
A unique educational exhibition of hats, all responding to an aspect of neuroscience or neurology.
Try some on!
Held weekdays only (excluding Good Friday), open 10am to 12pm on dates:
8th -11th April
14th – 27th April.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is set to return to Liverpool this summer after attracting an amazing 60,000 visitors during its UK premiere in the city in 2024.
The unmissable multimedia experience will be at the waterfront Exhibition Centre Liverpool from Tuesday 15th July to Sunday 3rd August.
And city art lovers will also become the first in the country to enjoy a stunning new immersive show, Beyond Monet, receiving its UK premiere in Liverpool and which brings the works of the ‘Father of Impressionism’ to life in mesmerising fashion.
Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet will be staged on different days throughout the three-week run at the landmark waterfront venue.
Masding’s playful exhibition investigates how images, objects and words link together. Through a combination of sculpture, fictional writing and typography, Masding transforms the gallery into a space where language can mingle, collide and flow.
Following on from her 2024 book, Body of Pieces, the exhibition at the Bluecoat presents new writing by Masding and follows her strategy of using fiction to explore the nature of objects, their physical properties and how they relate to us. Masding describes writing as a ‘sculpting tool’ allowing her to defy the laws of physics and go inside objects. In the gallery, visitors will explore sculptures made from metal, ceramic, plaster and shimmering textiles which are suspended from a series of elongated copper sculptures. Pages of Masding’s new works of fiction will hang from these copper frames, for visitors to tear off and read.
The Moveable Scene of the Page also features Masding’s new alphabet sculptures, inspired by, and in the shape of Monster Munch crisps. This novel new typeface is formed by extrusion; a means of forcing soft material through a hole in a flat disc. Monster Munch is made using the same technique, but as this tube of material comes through the extruder it is sliced into individual, flat claw shapes. Masding’s ceramic letters become poetic sculptures, with phrases like “tongue tripping over a glazed ceramic marble” suggesting a collision of words and objects in our own bodies.
When working between the disciplines of writing, sculpture and performance, Masding is often thinking about translation, and how the essence of an object can change. When a drawing is made of a bunch of grapes, it is translated into a flat image and some information is lost (the weight) but something is also gained (small details are highlighted). When that image or artwork is written about, it is translated again into letters and spoken language.
Through her work, Masding gives us the opportunity to look closer at this translation process. She suggests that art is often a task of slowing the world down, and holding it in place so we can take a closer look. When we produce a drawing or take a photograph of something, we fix that object in place and study it. Masding’s work seeks to fix the act of translation in place, giving us the chance to slow down and examine the process.
Fri 4 Apr – Sun 11 May
Free entry
Veronica Watson has been chronicling the people who populate the Bluecoat for almost 20 years. As a founding member of Blue Room, the Bluecoat’s inclusive arts project, she has cast a steady eye over the ever evolving community of people who spend time working, volunteering and creating at the arts centre. Her portraiture practice has captured the likeness and spirit of many individuals through drawing and painting.
For the first time, the artists’ collection of portraits will be shared in a limited edition book, All Together Now with a foreword by writer Mike Pinnington from the Double Negative. More information on how to purchase the book will be available soon.
This accompanying exhibition features a selection of portraits of people connected with Blue Room and the Bluecoat, along with archive images of Watson’s long engagement with the arts centre.
Located in their upstairs Gallery.
Until Sun 4 May
Open 11am-5pm, Tue-Sun
Free entry
Goodison Park’s final season as home to Everton Football Club will be documented from a fan’s perspective, through a new photo display opening on 5 April at Museum of Liverpool.
Featuring nine photographers from the club’s fanbase, Goodbye to Goodison is a love letter to the home stadium of Everton Football Club in its final season. The display of photos taken during the final season looks at the relationship between this iconic ground and the loyal fans who congregate around the stadium.
Goodbye to Goodison brings together fan photographers that document the matchday experience at Goodison Park. The photos selected highlight matchdays away from the Premier League glamour – the chippies, pubs, meeting places and family moments shared during the final season.
As the club moves into the next chapter of its rich history, relocating to a state-of-the-art stadium, fans are savouring the final moments in one of the country’s last great football stadiums.
Chris Wardle, co-curator and contributor to Goodbye to Goodison, said: “While a lot of attention is focused on the pitch for Goodison Park’s final season, I wanted to shift our focus to the pre-game experiences and moments that, to me, make this old ground so special.
“The display celebrates the streets, landmarks and establishments that have become an extension of the ground over the years.
“We’re lucky, as a fanbase, to have a talented group of photographers who have taken it upon themselves to document Goodison’s legacy from their own perspective. I am excited to showcase the work of these photographers and pay tribute to one of the great stadiums in world football.”
To mark the final game, museum curators will select an image taken from the final game of the season, capturing the emotion and importance of the final game at The Grand Old Lady.
Karen O’Rourke, curator for sport, music and performance at Museum of Liverpool, said: “Leaving a space for an image from the final game at Goodison Park seems like an important thing to do. We are hoping the photographers involved can capture the emotion that will no doubt overflow before and after the last game. The display pays tribute to a landmark of the city, before the club moves to its new ground on the banks of the River Mersey.”
Goodbye to Goodison opens in Museum of Liverpool’s Skylight Gallery on Saturday 5 April and runs until Sunday 10 August.
On Thursdays throughout the run of the display, visitors will be able to see additional images from the photographers and share their own memories and experiences of going to the match.
Running alongside the display, the museum will release an episode of the NML Podcast talking with staff, ex-players, ex-managers and other important figures who know Goodison Park best. Online a wider selection of photos from around the ground will be available to view.
For more information on Goodbye to Goodison, the photographers and special events, please visit: Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/Goodison-park.
Open Eye Gallery proudly presents No Iconic Images. Views of War, a thought-provoking exhibition examining contemporary depictions of war.
This exhibition invites audiences to reconsider the power of war photography in shaping collective memory, political narratives, and public perception. As images circulate faster than ever in a digital world, the exhibition raises pressing questions: Do we still need iconic images? How do they influence our understanding of war? And what happens when a single image defines an entire conflict?
In collaboration with The Guardian and Magnum Photos, the exhibition showcases projects by a new generation of Magnum photographers, Peter van Agtmael and Newsha Tavakolian, who offer personal insights into the wars they witnessed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
The exhibition also delves into the editorial choices behind war photography today, with The Guardian providing a unique perspective on global conflicts, from Haiti to Myanmar. As Fiona Shields, The Guardian’s Head of Photography stated:”The geo-political nature of a conflict will often determine the priority of our reporting”, these images drives us to think about how photography shapes and influences our understanding of global crisis.
Investigative works by Forensic Architecture and the Centre for Spatial Technologies reconstruct the 2022 attack on Kyiv’s TV Tower, while artists Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei challenge traditional Western aesthetics in representations of war casualties.
“As the world burns and images circulate faster than ever, it examines recent wars and how they are portrayed and reflected upon through photography”. – Max Gorbatskyi and Viktoria Bavykina, exhibition curators.
Image: Raymond and his sons. Darien, Wisconsin, USA, 2007 © Peter van Agtmael / Magnum Photos
To celebrate DaDa’s 40th Birthday, they are launching their exhibition ‘Rage, Riot and Revolution’, on International Women’s Day.
While the exhibition will be open throughout the festival, join them for a celebration evening to launch Rage, Riot and Revolution and DaDaFEst Interntaional 40 at a special event featuring Amina Atiq reading her poem ‘Rage’ commissioned for the festival, some words from the DaDa team and to catch a glimpse of Dolly Sen’s new ‘Rage’ Sculpture which will also be on display, along with some light refreshments. They invite you to stay on to catch the ‘Hands Ships Sail’ Projection on the Cunard Buildings outside after the event finishes.
Please book your ticket via eventbrite.
About Rage Riot and Revolution
For over four decades, disabled women in Liverpool and the North West have been powerful agents of change locally, nationally and internationally, reshaping their communities and the way society views disabled people. This exhibition celebrates the achievements of female activists, artists, leaders and champions of disability activism and highlights their essential contributions to both local and global progress.
This exhibition celebrates their resilience, ingenuity, and impact. Through photography, we illuminate their stories as activists fighting for equal rights, as artists reshaping cultural narratives, and as leaders in our communities.
The North West has long been a place for grassroots movements, and disabled women have played a pivotal role in shaping this history. At the heart of this work lies disability culture: a celebration of identity, creativity, and community rooted in the lived experiences of disabled people. Through art, activism, and leadership, these women have amplified their voices, challenged societal norms, and reshaped policies that impact millions. They have rejected the narrative and representation of disability as being negative, and instead embraced it as a source of strength, innovation, and belonging.
“It is the systems that continue to disempower and disable us, not us.”
(Zoe Partington DaDa, CEO)
Many of these women have engaged in global networks, influencing policy, art, and activism worldwide.
As you explore these photographs and stories, consider the barriers they’ve dismantled and the futures they’ve created to ensure we embrace difference. Their passion, drive and work invites us to reimagine how we perceive ‘disability’ and ‘difference’—not to be seen as pitying, medical or charitable, but as a source of unique perspectives, strength and innovation.
The photographs in this exhibition honour their stories, capturing the resilience, creativity, and vision that have driven profound social and cultural change. They invite you to reflect on how these leaders have not only shaped policy and culture but also built a legacy of empowerment that continues to transform lives. Their influence extends far beyond Liverpool—fuelling international movements for disability justice and inclusion, inspiring a global audience to see disability not as a barrier, but as a powerful perspective.
This is more than a celebration—it’s a call to action. By embracing the values of disability culture, we can all contribute to a more equitable, inclusive future where diverse voices lead the way.
Included in this exhibition are portraits of artists and activists: Ruth Fabby, Kaite O’Reilley, Cheryl Martin, Liz Carr, Mandy Redvers-Rowe, Amina Atiq, Pam Thomas and more.
About DDFI40:
DaDaFest International returns 8th-31st March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary and this time they are coming with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.
DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.
DaDa has commissioned Dolly Sen to create a short film and sculpture to accompany her 2024 poem ‘I Want More Disabled Rage’. Dolly’s sculpture will be on display in the window of News from Nowhere Bookshop and her film will be screened at FACT on March 18. (See Films @ FACt event)
About DDFI40:
DaDaFest International returns 8th-31st March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary and this time they are coming with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.
DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.