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’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.
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.
Kate Bigley’s ‘In A Past Line’ is an interactive installation set in Birkenhead’s former Marks & Spencer. Until 2018, M&S occupied the now-vacant space and served as a popular department store for shoppers and residents. Its closure has left the community feeling discouraged about the future of Birkenhead. ‘In A Past Line’ aims to breathe life back into the building and evoke memories of M&S’s bustling retail environment.
With the aim of reimagining the space as it once was, Kate uses industrial materials to fabricate retail displays and browsing shoppers. Through the manipulation of electrical tape, she draws silhouettes of customers onto translucent polythene plastic sheets that are suspended from the ceiling and scattered throughout the space. Attendees are encouraged to engage with these ghostly figures as they occupy much of the gallery’s communal space. The tape continues throughout the exhibit and serves as a malleable and bold, yet temporary omnipresence, reminding people of the impermanence of things, particularly within this Marks & Spencer location.
The process of creating the work within the space allowed Kate to incorporate elements of the building’s architecture and remnants of the shop into her piece. In doing so, the space’s history informs the work and evokes a sense of nostalgia, enabling Kate to explore the more creative and playful aspect of her practice.
Launch event: Saturday 11th may 5:00pm -10:00pm
Exhibition open after launch: Wednesday – Friday 10:30am-4:00pm
FIT IT is a new site-specific work by artist Leo Fitzmaurice at the Convenience Pop Up in the Old M&S on Birkenhead High Street, as part of The Town is the Gallery programme.
Leo has said: “As with much of my work it is really a response to existing material – in this case the physical fabric of the store itself. In particular the wall paneling, which struck me as having a satisfying logic to it – as many functional things do. Taking these simple linear panels to form a housing for a paired down alphabet – I then lined the walls with words associated with the original function of the space.”
The result of this process and practice is a large-scale installation of text work that can be read simultaneously as text or viewed as a graphic pattern.
Launch event: Saturday 11th May 5:00pm-10:00pm
Exhibition opening after launch: Wednesday – Saturday 10:30am – 4:00pm
‘I became a mother’ is a personal journey into a universal female experience of metamorphosis, evolution, and recovery.
Photographing her daughter became the only opportunity for a creative output after Poiša became a parent in early 2022. These photographs transcended the immediate function of the family album revealing lesser-known sides of mothering.
This work reconsiders the conventional representation the mother, reframing birth, and motherhood as a journey down the mythical well as part of a feminine initiation.
‘Belonging’ is a new exhibition created by the members of Warrington Art Group, a community of artists, would-be artists and all those interested in art. The members of the group have created an eclectic selection of painting, drawings and photographs and the work includes local landmarks as well as scenes from further afield.
Visitors can also find out how to join the Warrington Art Group as well as other local groups and classes. Engaging with local art groups doesn’t just enrich your cultural experience—it nourishes your mind and spirit. Studies show that involvement in the arts can alleviate stress, enhance cognitive function, and foster a sense of belonging.
Exhibiting artists: Mike Allen, Barbara Alldred, Gill Bate, Pat Brown, Ian Brunt, Wendy Brunt, Tom Callow, Pik Chui Beatrix Choi, Ron Davies, Kathy Guest, Anna Head, Mauren Hill-Willis, Denis Holder, Lyn Morris, Aleks Partington, Norman Partington, David Percival, Roger Rumbold, Lester Scott, Chris Stacey, Stephanie Wong, Victoria Wood and Sui Ming Yeung
The Open exhibition returns for 2024 as part of the Warrington Arts Festival. This year’s exhibition will be curated by Warrington artist Sarah Harris.
Full details on how to enter and this year’s guest judges will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Worst Record Covers in the World is a hilarious collection of over 650 dreadful record sleeves Steve Goldman has collected.
In Steve’s own words:
“To get into my collection the covers have to be unintentionally funny. I want a record where the designers have tried to do something that’s gone horribly wrong. It can’t just be a performer in bad clothes or with an ugly face – though there are a couple that have got in that were just irresistible. And it all has to be good clean family fun – I don’t collect any record covers that are disgusting, gory, violent, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or racist.”
You can hear what the records sound like – the weird, the funny, and occasionally, the good. They’ll hold a vote for your favourite Worst Record Covers. There are kids’ activities too – match the record to a part of its cover, and dress up as a sleeve. And there’s a book of the exhibition too.
A retrospective celebrating the work of legendary graphic designer Andie Airfix who grew up in Warrington.
In a career lasting over 40 years, Andie designed a host of iconic album covers for the likes of Def Leppard, The Thompson Twins, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Dead or Alive and Led Zeppelin.