Event type: Exhibition

Gender Stories

 

What is gender? How have ideas about it changed over time? How does it shape our day-to-day lives? These questions and more will be explored in a brand-new exhibition co-created by National Museums Liverpool.

Through a diverse collection of fine and decorative art, personal stories and objects, Gender Stories traces the spectrum of genders and their expression across time and place, examining how gender intersects with our sex, class, sexuality and heritage to shape who we are.

Featuring works by David Hockney, Catherine Opie, Grayson Perry, Rene Matić, Zanele Muholi and Del LaGrace Volcano, this ground-breaking exhibition explores the role art can play in questioning traditional gender roles.

Created in collaboration with Bristol Museums, National Museums Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Museums, and people from all three cities and the Walker Art Gallery will be the final venue to host the show.

Gender Stories has been created for the Museums and Galleries Network for Exhibition Touring (MAGNET), with Art Fund support, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Image: Still from ‘The Mind is a Group Muscle’, Ree Bradley, 2025

 

Liverpool Art Fair

 

Liverpool Art Fair returns to Royal Liver Building for its 12th edition, showcasing work from hundreds of artists across the region. 

Organised by dot-art, the fair is known for its welcoming, accessible approach, with original artworks starting from as little as £25. It’s a great chance to discover and take home something new while supporting local talent.

 

The Garden as Muse

 

For centuries, gardens in their myriad forms, from the surreal, to the mystical, contemplative or mythical, have had profound impacts upon artists of all kinds. They act as sources of inspiration and as mirrors reflecting the cultural, social and emotional landscapes in which they were created.

This exhibition traces how artists across time have interpreted gardens not merely as physical spaces, but as symbols of creativity and solace. From delicate, nostalgic studies to immersive and grand paintings, these pieces reveal how gardens can function both as sanctuaries and laboratories of artistic experimentation.

Drawing exclusively from the Williamson’s rich and varied collection, The Garden as Muse invites visitors to wander through these imagined and observed worlds, celebrating the enduring allure of the garden as a site where art and nature meet, influence one another, and continue to grow in unexpected ways.

 

 

Debjani Banerjee: Jalsaghar

 

Jalsaghar is a solo exhibition by Debjani Banerjee that explores the relationship between the artist’s Bengali heritage and her 1980s upbringing in England. Across film, sculpture, and installation, her work playfully merges traditional craft, religious imagery and modern culture, encouraging audiences to think about what it feels like when different ways of life interplay.

The title Jalsaghar means ‘music room’ in Bengali, and comes from Satyajit Ray’s 1958 film of the same name. Banerjee reimagines this idea of a ‘music room’ and transforms the gallery into a sensory space where you can reflect with music, stories and artworks that connect the past and the present.

In the exhibition visitors will discover figures like Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali writer, composer and thinker; Hindu deities such as Ganesh and Shiva; and imagery drawn from The Mahabharata – an ancient Indian epic poem, infused with elements of contemporary popular culture. These combined references create dreamlike works that present the artist’s ever changing ideas of India, formed through personal experience, family histories and inherited stories.

Collaboration is central to Banerjee’s practice, and Jalsaghar has developed through work with a range of artists and contributors, reflecting her interest in shared making, participation and collective exchange.

The gallery will also have a space with free creative activities for children and families to be inspired and make their own art in response to the exhibition.

Jalsaghar was initially commissioned by CCA, Glasgow (2024), Jalsaghar has since been presented in new iterations at KARST, Plymouth (2025) and at Mimosa House, London (2025).

To mark the launch of the exhibition, there will be a Celebration Day on Saturday 11th July with refreshments, family activities and a bookable walk-through of the exhibition with artist Debjani Banerjee and Head of Exhibitions at Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dan Brown. Booking info coming soon.

Free entry

 

A Radical Re-Imagining | Unity Heritage Project

This May and June, through a multi-faceted heritage project, we will celebrate our building’s unique history—first as a synagogue and later as a home for political and grassroots theatre.

Join us for a series of events that delve into our rich heritage and history.

This project has been made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. What’s on?

Exhibition |  A Radical Reimagining: the history of Merseyside Unity Theatre, 1937-1987Thursday 14 May to Sunday 28 June

Step into the past at this exhibition featuring archives from the Unity Theatre collection.

Mount Pleasant Campus Library, 29 Maryland St, Liverpool L1 9DE. Opening hours Monday to Friday 8:45am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.

Exhibition Launch EventThursday 21 May, 4:30-6:30pm

Join us for an evening of celebration to mark the official opening of the Merseyside Unity Theatre archive exhibition, with pop up performances!

Common/Wealth Theatre Company DO IT YOURSELF: Making Political TheatreFriday 29th May John Foster Drama Studio, Hope Street, L1 9BY

10-12.30: Workshop – Doing it Yourself

This workshop will offer a brief introduction to a range of practical exercises to enable you to work with others to create political theatre and make social change. The exercises will give you an insight into Common/Wealth, how we make original theatre about the here and now, and with people who may not have been part of any theatre-making process before.

Suitable for people new to theatre, experienced theatre makers, activists and community organisers.

Age guidance: 16+

2-3.30: Talk including Q&A

We’ll share our DIY origins, how we’ve made shows along the way and why making political theatre is critical and urgent now more than ever.

About Common/ Wealth Common/Wealth is a political theatre company based in Bradford and Cardiff, UK.  We make radical, high-quality documentary theatre and other public events that are site-specific, experimental and push form – relevant, artistic work addressing social injustices and concerns of our times, in partnership with the people who are most affected by inequity.

Archive Open DaysThursday 4 June – Friday 5 June, 10-12pm and 1-3pm

Have you ever visited an archive before? Join us at our open day sessions to view some of the original papers created and collected by Merseyside Unity Theatre. Explore rare scripts, programmes, photographs and songbooks, and meet the Project Archivist to learn more about how unique historical records are being preserved for future generations.

Special Collections and Archives, Mount Pleasant Campus Library, Liverpool John Moores University, 29 Maryland St, Liverpool L1 9DE

Political Songs Workshop| Sing, March, Protest with Patrick DineenSaturday 23rd May | Unity 2-5pm

Come along and experience the political songs that the Unity Theatre would have performed,

written and experienced over the years from the Spanish Civil War to the 1960s.

From rousing marching songs through to sophisticated cabaret. Listen and sing the wit and irony, dark humour of songs that speak of injustice and corruption.

Patrick Dineen is a composer and lyricist. He has written many scores for theatre and political

cabaret over the years and has had a long standing relationship with The Unity Theatre. His work as a composer includes tv, film, dance, cabaret and directing his own music-theatre shows.

LIV:DOX presents “Orwell: 2+2=5” (2026, dir. Raoul Peck)Saturday 23rd May | 6pm

“Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5” is a dense, urgent, and unapologetically blunt documentary that offers a chillingly relevant examination of totalitarianism’s enduring appeal and the societal conditions that enable it.

Screening presented by LIV:DOX (Liverpool Documentary Club), a project fueled by Imagine Futures CIC.

Breaking the Class Ceiling | A Live Exploration of Working Class Artistry Saturday 30th May | 3-4.30pm

Join us for an unflinching, live panel discussion that bridges the gap between Unity’s 1930s ‘Workers’ Theatre’ roots and Liverpool’s contemporary creative scene.

In an era where the ‘class ceiling’ remains a challenging barrier in the arts, how do creatives and radical makers keep momentum? We bring together five Liverpool working-class artists to discuss the politics of the stage, the power of heritage, and the future of working-class storytelling.

Following our headline panel discussion, we’re offering a space for working-class creatives to test new ideas, political rants, or works in progress.

Radical Scratch Open Mic 5-6.30pmYOUNG RADICAL THEATRE MAKERSUnity Theatre, 4,5 & 6th June6–6.30pm, 6.45–7.15pm  (& Sat matinee 1.15-1.45)

Step into the future with our Young Radical Theatre Makers as they take the stage in a bold, high-energy ensemble performance, this new generation of artists amplifies the voices of today to ask the urgent questions of tomorrow, a call to listen, to reflect, and to imagine what comes next.

Divided by the ensemble. Directed by Grace Gallagher and Mariana Pires

STAGE LEFTThursday 4th- Saturday 6th June | 7.30pm (& Sat matinee 2pm)

Created in-house at the Unity, this new performance dives into the theatre’s bold and rebellious past. From its roots as Merseyside Left Theatre in the 1930s to the vibrant creative home we inhabit today, A Radical Reimagining brings decades of radical storytelling roaring back to life.

Through dynamic performance, powerful voices, and striking moments from the past, we celebrate a legacy of theatre made for the people. Expect a journey through protest, passion, and creativity, a reminder that this stage has always belonged to those with something to say. 

Sahjan Kooner: (darkforest) The Zone of Ghosts

Within the gallery, a dark forest grows, and imagined artefacts made by the young people sit within the walls of an infinity-symbol-shaped structure. On one side, a digital and tabletop game can be played, and on the other, a campfire creates space to reflect and imagine how different futures might be made. The space serves as both a gathering area and a fantasy film set for Sahjan and the young people to make a new film, on display from Friday 24 July. Alongside this, a recorded conversation between Sahjan and FACT’s Learning Team will be added to the space on Friday 19 June, reflecting on their work with young people.

Join us for the launch of the new fantasy film on Thursday 23 July from 18:00-20:00. Book here →

As their world expands, the exhibition unfolds, reflecting their ongoing collaboration in which myths can be uncovered, stories shared, and different futures collectively imagined.

→ Play The Zone of Ghosts digital game here.

(darkforest) The Zone of Ghosts by Sahjan Kooner is commissioned by FACT Liverpool and made in collaboration with young people from Global Friends, Unity Youth and Young Inspectors, with funding from the PH Holt Foundation,  Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust, the DWF Foundation, and the Chrimes Family Charitable Trust.

The Zone of Ghosts digital game was developed by Poppy Curran Jones, with board game design by An Endless Supply, and is produced by Wigan Museums and FACT Liverpool. This project is part of New Perspectives, a partnership between Wigan Museums, Global Friends and FACT Liverpool with funding from Art Fund.

Exhibition launch: A Radical Re-imagining

 

 

Join us for an evening of celebration to mark the official opening of our new exhibition! This exhibition explores the history of Merseyside Unity Theatre from 1937 – 1987, which has been made possible through the Unity Theatre Heritage Lottery funded project ‘A Radical Re-imagining’.

Discover original documents, photographs and hidden stories about a group of talented, determined performers that put politics at the heart of performance.

The launch event will include speeches, refreshments, pop up performances, and a chance to explore the archive material in more depth.

Thursday 21 May, 4:30 – 6:30pm LG and G Floors Mount Pleasant Campus Library 29 Maryland Street Liverpool L1 9DE Book via Eventbrite The building is wheelchair accessible.

Email archives@ljmu.ac.uk for all enquiries. If you can’t make the launch event, you can still visit the exhibition anytime from 14 May – 28 June at Mount Pleasant Campus Library.

Opening hours Monday to Friday 8:45am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.

 

 

Absence exhibition tour with curators and artists

Saturday 6th June / 2:30-4pm / Stable Gallery / free, RSVP

A free guided tour of Absence

The tour will be led by the exhibition curators, Laura Harris and Maike Pötschulat, who will be joined by several of the exhibiting photographers. The tour discusses why ‘absence’ is a pertinent theme for photography and society and how we can visually explore what is not anymore or not yet.

Absence is a group exhibition bringing together the photography of seven visual sociologists, alongside submissions from an open call for photography of absences in the Liverpool City Region.

With support from: The British Academy, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Southampton.

Absence exhibition tour with curators

 

Wednesday 10th June / 2-3pm / Stable Gallery / free, RSVP

A free guided tour of Absence

The tour will be led by the exhibition curators, Laura Harris and Maike Pötschulat. The tour discusses why ‘absence’ is a pertinent theme for photography and society and how we can visually explore what is not anymore or not yet.

Absence is a group exhibition bringing together the photography of seven visual sociologists, alongside submissions from an open call for photography of absences in the Liverpool City Region.

With support from: The British Academy, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Southampton.

 

Absence @ Stable Gallery, St George’s Hall

Launch: 5 June 2026 / 6-8pm / Stable Gallery, St George’s Hall / RSVP Absence, curated by sociologists Laura Harris and Maike Pötschulat, is a new group exhibition that brings together the photography of seven visual sociologists, alongside finalists from an open call for photography of absences in the Liverpool City Region. 

Taking place from 5 June 2026 to 11 July 2026 at Liverpool’s Stable Gallery, St George’s Hall, the show explores absence as both a social reality and a visual language. Across more than 100 photographs, the show investigates absence’s many forms, asking: What does it mean to document what is no longer there, or those who are no longer present? How can we see what society leaves behind, or what never came to be? How can we photograph what resists to be shown? 

Maike Pötschulat, one of the exhibition’s curators, said: ‘Absence is not emptiness. Often, what appears to be absent can have a large footprint in our lives and societies while generating a whole host of activities. In this exhibition, we wanted to focus on the ways in which absence is lived, felt and practised to show what materialises in the gaps and voids that are left by an absence.’  The exhibition includes:

Terence Heng’s photography of Bukit Brown Cemetery, a Chinese diaspora graveyard in Singapore, exploring death, one of the most evocative forms of absence. Heng’s work highlights how loss is a futile ground for collective beliefs and practices.   A selection of Setareh Kazemi’s photojournalistic work in Iran, with a focus on the lives of women and migrant communities who rarely find representation. Her work is a reminder of the power of photography to make visible experiences and people that are frequently overlooked.  Manal Massalha’s Standing Tall series, which documents Palestinian life and hardship in the Occupied Territories in the West Bank. Here, absence is not a noun but a verb, where a process of violent ‘absenting’ is inflicted on Palestinian communities and lands. An extract of David Schalliol’s Isolated Building Studies, selected from a portfolio of over 700 images. As a broader commentary on urban and social change in Chicago, these images feature stand-alone buildings that are the last, or first, remnants of physical and social neighbourhoods.  Makeshift, in which Paweł Starzec revisits sites of the Bosnian War with the muted pastel aesthetic of his photography in stark contrast to the atrocities that happened in the photographed places. Starzec’s work is a critical commentary on the way power manipulates what and who is remembered.  Gesche Würfel’s The Absence and Presence of The Berlin Wall, a comprehensive research project that speaks to the traces of the wall in material and psychic terms. We exhibit composite images that were created on Würfel’s cycle along the 160km Berlin Wall Trail.   Five polaroids, all of which for unknown reasons shed their owners and now exist alongside the 4000 images in Kyler Zeleny’s Found Polaroid archive. While their original context is forever lost, the displayed polaroids feature flash fiction that was written to reanimate them.  Running alongside the exhibition are the submissions from an Open Call for photography of absence in the Liverpool City Region, which generated hundreds of images that highlight how absence is woven into the built and social fabric of the area. Five finalists, whose work is exhibited, are: 

Daniel Frost Alishah Iqbal Paradise Made Dan Murphy Claire Weetman

TILT special edition

An accompanying special issue of Open Eye Gallery’s magazine, TILT, will launch at the opening of the exhibition. The magazine features specially commissioned texts on the theme of absence and an expanded selection of images from every photographer’s project. TILT will be available online for free at Open Eye Gallery’s website, or in print from their bookshop (£5). The magazine will also feature images received through the open call by:

Ellie Byrne Angela Cheveau Alan Colclough Emily Gerrard Jean Kane Nicolas Kendall June Poston Andrew Stewart Andrew Wilson

Public events programme

Funded by the British Academy’s BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants Programme and Liverpool John Moores University’s FSC Research Development Fund, the exhibition also includes a series of public events. There will be several opportunities to see the exhibition together with the photographers, curators and organisers for the launch weekend which includes the following activities:

6 June 2026, 2.30–4pm: Exhibition tour with curators and photographers at Stable Gallery (book your free ticket) 6 June 2026, 5–7pm: Absence in conversation. Panel discussion at Open Eye Gallery followed by reception (book your free ticket) 10 June 2026, 2–3pm: Exhibition tour with curators at Stable Gallery (book your free ticket) 13 June 2026, 1–2pm: Exhibition tour with curators at Stable Gallery (book your free ticket)

 With support from: The British Academy, Liverpool John Moores University, Open Eye Gallery, Stable Gallery, University of Southampton.