Event type: Exhibition

Ian Irvine: Visual Cocktails

Ian is an experienced artist, born in Liverpool in 1958. The majority of his work consists of screen prints and collages. In fact, the screen prints are essentially collages transferred into another medium.

Made by printing ink through a mesh screen onto paper or canvas, they include found and appropriated images combined with colours, and ‘gestural’ marks to make a coherent whole composition. They are influenced by some of the Pop artists of the 1960s and 70s such as Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Hamilton.

The images used are often from past eras, and include illustrations, diagrams, covers from ‘Pulp’ novels, film stars, and references to the art of past centuries. They could be referred to as ‘visual cocktails’.

The collages are a separate body of work, and are often quite puzzling and surreal. Hand-cut with just scissors and glue, these are influenced by some of the great Surrealist artists of the 1920s to 1950s such as Rene Magritte and Max Ernst. Included here are so-called ‘Remade Classics’ which are a take on some very famous paintings from past centuries, re-imagined with strange new interventions and made with a dose of humour.

This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Ian’s brother David, who lived in Sankey, near Warrington for most of his adult life, and died in 2023.

Art Expo – Derek Prescott exhibi...

Welcome to the Art Expo – Derek Prescott Exhibition! Join the team at Start Yard for a showcase of stunning artwork by the talented artist Derek Prescott.

Immerse yourself in a world of vibrant colors and intricate details as you explore the pieces on display. This in-person event is a must-visit for art enthusiasts and anyone looking to be inspired. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the creativity and passion of Derek Prescott’s work up close.

Classic car display

Join Museum of Liverpool for an amazing display of classic cars outside the Museum of Liverpool. They welcome the Phoenix Clock Face Classic Vehicle Association with some of their wonderful classic car collection.

Please note, this event is subject to weather conditions.

Thin Places Exhibition at the LAKE Gal...

Thin Places reveal themselves in moments of solitude, where there is mystery in the landscape and nature. In this group exhibition, a printmaker, a photographer and a painter share their emotional responses to the liminal landscape and invite us to connect with our own ‘thin’ spaces.

Alistair Tucker
Donalda O’Neill
Eli Pascall-Willis

Thursday 16th May –  Saturday 22nd June
Opening times: Thurs – Sat, 10am – 4pm

Alistair Tucker was born in Hampshire and now lives on the Wirral. His work looks to explore such excellence, grandeur and beauty, which so often inspires a response. He says: “ I love the way in which wind, cloud and rain change the light and therefore the form of the landscape. Light in a landscape has become my predominant preoccupation. Light comes from above but so often appears to come from within the landscape, as though the land itself would speak. I respond to the world around me and art is one way I try to make sense of it. Many things inspire me visually, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Music, poetry, art and the bible are just a few of my other sources of inspiration, which you will see appearing in my work.”

Donalda O’Neill is from Northern Ireland. She moved to Liverpool in 1997 to study Fine Art and now lives and works on the Wirral. Her current work explores landscapes in and around where she grew up. She says about her work: “I relate to the idea of the ‘sublime’ in that being in the Irish landscape is a particular sensory experience I don’t feel anywhere else. It taps into something in my soul, it feels immeasurable and my insignificance in comparison to nature is magnified. I feel rooted within it, yet always knowing I have to leave, creating an urgency to record, to paint, to absorb as much as I can before it is lost to me again. The process of the painting is about holding on”.

Eli Pascall-Willis is a professional photographer living and working on the Wirral peninsula. Eli clearly remembers owning a camera at the age of ten. However, it was not until his mid-twenties when he found himself behind a friend’s SLR, which ignited his passion for image-making, initially with black and white film and printing in a darkroom. It also took him into the landscape, where he spent much of his time exploring various parts of the UK. In more recent years Eli has found himself drawn more and more to woodlands. His fascination for trees comes from early memories as a child living in Mid-Wales, exploring, climbing and making dens. He now seeks to further understand woodland habitats and capture their essence. Doing this gives him a feeling of calm and belonging.

The gallery will be hosting a preview evening on Thursday 16th May between 6pm and 8pm. All three artists will be joining them in the gallery for the evening so do head along to meet them.

You’ll find the LAKE gallery in the heart of West Kirby, a couple of minutes from the train station.

Creatures of the Nile

An exciting new exhibition, Creatures of the Nile, is now open at the University of Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery & Museum, which explores the fascinating position animals held in ancient Egyptian and Sudanese society and culture.

Creatures of the Nile features more than 250 objects, many of which have never been on public display. Highlights include one of the earliest known depictions of a domesticated dog, a sheet from the 3,500-year-old Book of the Dead and a bronze statue which entombed a mummified cat.

Tiago Da Cruz Solo Show

An exciting new figurative exhibition is scheduled to wow visitors to the ArtHouse in Southport later this month.

Described by the artist as “an amalgamation of personal experiences, cultural influences and the exploration of detachment”, this premiere showcase has been harvested from the creative mind of Portuguese born painter, Tiago da Cruz.

“The exhibition contains some paintings I produced in the last 5 years, and it portrays the passive view of different characters in varied actions”.

Arriving in the UK around four years ago, Tiago’s intriguing subjects are captured with a freedom of expression that impacts on the viewer with almost carnivalesque bravura.

The Atkinson: Eternal Summer: Painting...

From an unpromising start as a Southport painter and decorator, Philip Connard rose to prominence as a successful Impressionist artist and a Royal Academician.

This exhibition charts his career including a remarkable period as a war artist serving on the Navy’s first submarines to an important muralist who created magnificent decorations for the room housing Queen Mary’s dolls house.

This exhibition brings the work of an overlooked artist back into the spotlight, featuring examples of his work from our national collections.

The Atkinson: Edwardian Impressionists...

Philip Connard worked alongside some of the greatest artists of his generation, many of them leading British Impressionists who opposed the artistic establishment at the turn of the nineteenth century.

This exhibition features key works from The Atkinson’s collection, including paintings by Philip Wilson Steer, Walter Sickert, Wilfrid de Glehn and Henry Scott Tuke.

Shuffle Exhibition

Shuffle’s exhibition venue, Tobacco Warehouse, is a spectacular Grade II-listed structure, which was the largest brick building in the world at the time of its construction in 1901 and is now being renovated into stunning luxury apartments. The prestigious exhibition venue has been offered by Tobacco Warehouse, showing its committed to integrating cultural and artistic elements into its development project.

A diverse range of visual art will include large scale sculpture by Manchester based Joe Hancock (@thisjoehancock), ‘hard edge’ abstract painting from Liverpool based Gareth Kemp (@garethkemp), the mysterious paintings of Manchester based Karol Kochanowski (@karolkochanowski) and exquisitely realistic portrait drawings by Liverpool based Colette Lilley (@colettelilley). 

For experienced and budding art buyers alike, Shuffle exhibitions offer a wide range of artworks available to buy. This can be complemented by a unique personal art curation experience offered by Shuffle, for individuals and corporate clients looking for unique artworks to transform their home or office. Alongside the works on offer in this exhibition, Shuffle curators can also guide buyers through a personalised consultation process, responding to their individual tastes, requirements and budget and resulting in an extended selection of recommended artworks to purchase.

Visiting the Shuffle exhibition during daytime hours will offer a more relaxed environment in which to enjoy and engage with the incredible and complex artworks on display. Tea, coffee and cake will be available for visitors who would like to spend time in the exhibition and there are also the nearby alternatives of Cafe Riccardo on Regent Street (Saturdays only) and Stanley Dock’s own Rum Bar in the Titanic Hotel, offering coffee, cocktails and light snacks. With the exhibition open over two more weekends, including the bank holiday, it offers a great alternative afternoon of culture for Liverpool residents and tourists alike.

Metamorphosis: Johnny Vegas and Emma R...

Comedian Johnny Vegas rediscovers his artistic talent in this new collaboration with internationally recognised sculptor Emma Rodgers.

Actor and comedian Johnny Vegas has a degree in Art and Ceramics. Three decades after he graduated, he returned to the studio after a chance meeting with local sculptor Emma Rodgers. They have made new work with bronze, clay and 3D printing, shown alongside the historic objects that inspired them.

Their display explores the idea of metamorphosis, meaning a mental or physical transformation. A common theme is transformation through flight. In Emma’s work, tragic mythical figure Icarus is transformed through the wings his father made for him. Johnny shows a fragile female figure breaking free from her fears through flight.

Emma Rodgers is known world-wide for sculptures that capture the essence of the subject. Among her public commissions in Liverpool, she made the statue of Cilla Black in Matthew Street and created the world’s largest Liver Bird.

After training in ceramics, St Helens based Johnny Vegas found that “life got in the way” and art became “an unfinished part of my story”. He recently rediscovered his artistic talent, saying that flight, faith and fear of failure are subjects currently most fluent in his work.