Exactly a year ago, I had my head shaved and was thrown off a train for protecting my family.
That’s a true story, believe it or not, and by way of apology, Merseyrail sent me some train vouchers as compensation. For myriad reasons, I never got around to spending them until this week, and even then could only manage a trip into town.
However, this was a journey I’d been looking forward to making for a while: well, I say a while, perhaps a lifetime. I took B around the 2016 Biennial when her mum was a month away from giving birth to our second born, E, and this was his time. Introducing your son to the world of contemporary art – he’s been to a few galleries before, but this was his first taste of Biennale gallery-hopping – is a wonderful thing I’d hope all those interested in it, can experience, even if it can be stressful and challenging at times.
We actually started at the library, in the incredibly ornate Picton and Hornby rooms for the Frankenstein book art exhibition I’d first heard about through that life-changing course I recently completed.
There were some lovely examples on show, and even though I’m not teaching the gothic fiction module next year – sorry, no more talk of school, WE’RE ON OUR HOLIDAYS – it stirred up the creative juices and whetted the appetite for other planned text engagement. It was just difficult keeping the ever-more-articulate little ‘un quiet in such lovely surroundings.
Next up was the JOHN MOORES exhibition at one of my favourite places on earth, the Walker Gallery. If I’m honest, I was a little underwhelmed by the collection this time, though that’s perhaps because I’m so out of touch with painting and image-making that I don’t know what’s on trend any more. I saw quite a few things I liked but left with an understanding of the negativity some of the Post-it notes reflected.
Still, it offered the chance to see this great design and quote from the genial past winner Sir Peter Blake, and to interact with a selfie mirror at the end of the show.
Onwards, Evertonians – up Brownlow Hill, to a building I’d never made it inside before, and what a silly decision that proved to be! The not having been in before, because it’s such an ornate and classy environment I should have spent time in whilst a student who instead frequented dodgy bars and nightclubs.
I am, of course, talking about the Liverpool University building; I knew it was there but had never ventured in, not even able to attend the Stu Sutcliffe show a few years back. This time, though, I was even more pleasantly surprised with the art on show, particularly those by Francis Alys in the upstairs gallery, above the beautifully ornate cafe with its decorative tributes to fallen heroes.
Alys has always fascinated me, but not previously for his painted works. These were just lovely, painted over a lifetime on boards and skilled but at the same time, quite naive-looking, but still carefully composed and with pastel colours chosen for effect. It was this palette which reminded me of the works of David Tindle, a little-known painter of egg tempera still lifes whom I was introduced to at GCSE time… long, long ago.
I also really loved the strange, labyrinthesque installation by Ben Judd, and the Egyptian section featuring mummified bodies and beautiful little carvings.
After that, we moved on to JMU’s John Lennon building – the home of the art & design faculty – and a building close to my heart, not just because I exhibited there as part of my MA show several lifetimes ago, but aso because it now homes several of my old tutors who deliver the BA Graphic Arts course (me first degree, embarked upon nearly TWENTY years ago now) to those wide-eyed undergraduates of whom I was once one.
There, we enjoyed the Bloomberg New Contemporaries showoverall, though it was rather inconsistent. Standout pieces involved a fanzine collaborative; a load of eggs, taking the form of a Virgin Mary; a set of strange witch figures and a lovely collection of eclectic images by the group who also designed the biennial branding. This was one of the highlights of the day.
Next, we took a walk along Hope Street: a trip down memory lane for me, as we passed old flats, old places of study, old haunts and arrived at ‘the suitcases’, where I once posed for a DAZED & CONFUSED photoshoot. Then, it was down Hardman and Leece Streets for the somewhat underwhelming shows at FACT (one such offering – films by Agnes Varda – I had to shield Elijah from, as it showed a woman getting attacked in a phonebox – I’m all for pushing the envelope for one’s art, but we were given no warning in the way in by the gallery assistant who just said “ahh, she’s young!” to us on the way in) although I did like the ideas behind the horse and garden themed films by Mohamed Bourouissa.
How things change when you have kids.
Still full of energy, we walked down to the Bluecoat which has always been a favourite of the kids due to the peaceful garden there and a nice mix of interactivity in their shows over the last few years. This was no exception; Ryan Gander, Suki Seokyeong Kang and particularly Silke Otto-Knapp made this a more engaging experience, and a really positive end to this first part of Biennial binging.
There followed a nap, after all that art, and a short period of shopping for B’s birthday gifts before a nice pint at Lunya in advance of getting the train home and reflecting on everything we had seen that day.
Including Noel Gallagher playing the piano in L1…
The rest of the festival can wait, for now… We’re off to Sheffield!