National Museums Liverpool Blog - contemporary art

There's a lot of variety in the artwork included in 'New Works at the Walker' and we think this helps make it a fascinating exhibition. You can see everything from sculpture and paintings to video installations and costume. Here's the curator of the exhibition, Lucy Gardner, to tell us about one of the more unusual sculptures on display...

This unusual sculpture is made from glass, mirror glass and leather suitcases.

This wonderful, slightly surreal piece called 'Shark Fin Soup' was made by artist Johnathan Froud. 

He cleverly uses mirror glass to create an illusion of space within the small confines of the suitcase. Froud is an artist know for using unusual materials to recreate and distort the reality with which we are all familiar. He wants to break away from restrictions, just as this shark fin has broken with convention by appearing to swim in this small case.

This piece is an important work for Froud because it marks the point at which glass became an integral part of his work; he was fascinated with the possibilities it allowed.  In the early 1980s Froud had been experimenting with the sculptural properties of diverse materials as unusual as spaghetti and glacier mints!

Froud was artist in residence here at the Walker in 1984 , but it was not until 2007 that we bought this piece, with the assistance of the Contemporary Art Society. 

Find out what else is on display in the exhibition here.

Happy International Women's Day! This day is the perfect time to stop and think about which women might be inspiring to you. Outside of family and friends, one person who I find inspiring is Portuguese artist Paula Rego. Two years ago I visited her dedicated museum 'Casa das Histórias' ('House of Stories') and was blown away by her work. It spans from etchings to installations to dramatic, large-scale paintings. 

I admire her (and her work) as she is not afraid to show the experiences of women, especially exploring subjects which are often considered 'difficult' or controversial. You also get an idea of her personal experiences too, which I also find inspiring as I think she must be quite brave to expose her feelings in this way. Her work often has a sense of fear running through it - a feeling she has recently admitted is still a constant in her everyday life. 

Etchingsfrom Paula Rego's abortion series.

We are lucky enough to have several Paula Rego works in the Walker Art Gallery's collections. Currently on display are three etchings from Rego's abortion series; 'Untitled, 5, 7 and 8'. Two of which are pictured above. These works were part of Rego's response to Portugal's rejection of the legalisation of abortion in 1998. The laws have since been changed. 

The Walker has quite a strong history of collecting work by female artists, having started with a painting called 'Elaine' by Sophie Anderson in 1871. In the 1950s and 1960s the Walker bought over 90 works by women artists, 57 of which were prints. Collecting work be female artists is now a strong focus for our curators. 

Curator Lucy Gardner told me: "Our most recent acquisitions are two pieces by up and coming artist Rachael Goodyear, whose original vision and unique style stand out in contemporary practice today. We are very pleased to be able to show such powerful pieces."

You can see work by Rego and Goodyear along with work by other female artists such as Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois and Lubaina Himid in our New Works at the Walker exhibition.

'In the Comfort of the Bonnet' by Paula Rego.

A divine Clarice Cliff 'tea for two' set from Age of Jazz.

It's an eclectic selection and there are some great books, my personal favourites being 'When Time Began to Rant and Rage...' which is a fab book of Irish figurative work and totally worth a fiver,  Age of Jazz: British Arts Deco Ceramics as I'm a sucker for a deco teaset, and British Watercolours and Drawings from the Lady Lever's collection.

If you've still not got a John Moores catalogue then now is the time to buy one as they're reduced to £7.50. And if you buy it from the Walker shop you get the John Moores China version for free.

Our curators at the Walker Art Gallery are currently working on a project with the contemporary artist, John Kirby, whose paintings have been compared to the work of René Magritte in the past.

Although John doesn't really see this similarity himself, he still took up the invitation to visit the Magritte exhibition at Tate Liverpool when he visited recently. It turned out to be a revelation... 

John Kirby having a look at paintings in the Walker before visiting Tate Liverpool.

Over the years, my work as an artist has occasionally been compared to that of the Belgian Surrealist, René Magritte. Although I found his work interesting I was never influenced by him as I was by say Edward Hopper, The American Realist painter or Balthus who depicted claustrophobic interiors charged with an uncomfortable eroticism.

I can see vague similarities in the way Magritte painted his rather stiff and secretive characters and I was once in a show of contemporary artists that seemed to the organisers at the Modern Art Museum in Ostend, Belgium to have an affinity with the Belgian artists but I was wary and a little bored by the assumed link. So when I was asked I visited the show at the Tate Liverpool, tired after a long day and without much enthusiasm. However, I was wrong to dismiss the artist.

The beautifully hung and lit show was a revelation. There were many paintings and some sculpture that I hadn’t seen before, even in reproduction and those I thought I knew quite well held a strange atmospheric mystery. It seemed like a very comprehensive overview and perfectly suited to the Tate's intimate rooms. Dark and secretive.

Perhaps artists look at the work of other artists' from a different perspective  and we sometimes miss the point. Magritte is a story teller not, I feel, over interested in or obsessed by the formalities of drawing and painting. He was exploring being alive in the middle of the 20th century in a Europe of dictators, terrifyingly destructive political systems and post-Freudian angst. He depicts the fractured narrative of dreams and nightmares and retains a sense of magic and humour.

The show takes us on a voyage through his long career and we see how the painting begin to be formed in Magritte's use of film, photographs, notes and sketches. We also see him in relationship to his fellow Surrealists.

Magritte's influence remains potent in Western culture, advertising and all forms of absurdist visual comedy such as Monty Python's Flying Circus. He speaks to us in a language we can recognise (even if we can't begin to understand) about the madness and psychological confusion of life and the individual's search for meaning within it. Art as good as this helps us to see the world in a different way an I find myself looking at things afresh through Magritte's distorting prism. Nothing is quite how it seems.

It's been an exciting time for us here at National Museums Liverpool as we have been happily weighed down with yet another award!

The John Moores Painting Prize has beaten the rest in its field to be named Merseyside's Tourism Event of the Year. The John Moores 2010 exhibition, which ran at the Walker Art Gallery from September to January, was the most successful ever in terms of visitor numbers.

Last Thursday the exhibition scooped the top prize at the Mersey Partnership Tourism Awards at the BT Convention Centre. It beat strong competition from the Grand National Festival, Mersey Ferries Manchester Ship Canal Cruise and Mersey Tunnel Tours.

National Museums Liverpool was also shortlisted for Large Visitor Attraction (Merseyside Maritime Museum), Business Tourism (Merseyside Maritime Museum), Retail (World Museum shop) and Excellence in Customer Service (Cliff Bowden, Lady Lever Art Gallery).

As the official Tourist Board for the Liverpool City Region, The Mersey Partnership (TMP) organises the Tourism Awards to recognise and reward excellence across the Visitor Economy sector.

The Awards Ceremony has become an annual showcase for the best of the City Region's destination offer. The John Moores will now join ten other category winners to represent the region at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. Good luck to Angela Samata (pictured), who is the John Moores Project Manager.

The three judges take a break.

I’m looking forward to BBC 2 screening Show Me the Monet from this Monday after organising and supervising the marathon filming sessions over a January weekend.

A film crew filled three of our galleries at the rear of the Walker Art Gallery  to film this competition show being screened at 5.15 pm every weekday night from Monday 9 May to Friday 20 May.

In a nutshell it involves artists being grilled about their artworks by three critics – David Lee, Charlotte Mullins and Roy Bolton (pictured left to right). The aim is to be included in an exclusive exhibition at the Royal College of Art, next to London’s Albert Hall.

The show is hosted by Chris Hollins, perhaps better known as a BBC sports presenter and winner of Strictly Come Dancing.

A total of 32 largely unknown but talented artists came to the Walker over the two days. They were first interviewed by Chris before going to the judges with their artworks. After several excruciating minutes of objective criticism the judges gave their verdicts.

Most contestants were philosophical but at least one burst into floods of tears. Ten were successful in getting through to the exhibition.

As I told the critics during a break in filming, this show breaks taboos. Many artists believe passionately that their art should speak for itself.

When we hold the prestigious John Moores exhibition the judges are not even given the artists’ names - the art is judged purely on its merits.

Show Me the Monet also publicises the Walker’s collections. Chris was filmed taking about some of the stunning exhibits including Simone Martini’s Christ Discovered in the Temple and a tiny votive picture painted by a very young Raphael.

Another feature is the artists being interviewed separately in galleries filled with masterpieces.

I went to the private view at the Royal College of Art in March and was impressed by the exhibition of about 30 works. They were still filming - the series starts at the exhibition with Chris describing how it all came together.

Other sequences were shot in galleries in London and Glasgow - most of the exhibited works were for sale.

This was a great experience for all concerned and hopefully none of the artists were too disappointed about not being included. I predict that this will be a big hit and should go to another series.

It gives a totally new slant on TV’s approach to art – I know of no other show where artists face their critics so directly. It blows away the preciousness and mystique that surrounds some art programmes today.

It also allows the viewer to get into the mind of the artist and see how and why they create works.

This week, our guest-blogger in National Museums Liverpool press office is Jack Poland, who was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the new Museum of Liverpool.

The Liverpool Map has been installed in the new Museum of Liverpool.

The map was the product of sculptors Jeffrey Sarmiento and Inge Panneels’ nine months of arduous work. It took little time, however, to acknowledge that such labour had well and truly paid off as the six-segment sculpture, each one weighing 100kg, was finally unveiled.

Even the picturesque Pier Head as its backdrop could not entice the viewing eyes away from the magnificent art piece which binds the geographical map of Liverpool with a cultural one. As light shines through the 17 layers of fused glass the map takes on a whole new level of interest. Hours upon hours of time are guaranteed to be lost when viewing the map as well known faces, places and words will burst out at every possible angle. The attention to detail of the artists was there for all to see, from the intricate implementation to the famous faces being placed as close as possible to their relevant geographical locations.

American artist, Jeffrey Sarmiento said of the result: “I had not initially planned on coming up to see it being put in place because I find installs terrifying and one single section of the Liverpool Map is twice as big as any piece I have made before, but I am relieved it is up and it looks extremely close to how we envisaged it.”

The viewing of this intriguing piece was a fitting end to a suitably fascinating first visit to the new Museum of Liverpool. I was initially struck by the size and distinctive look of the building and this admiration was a constant throughout my tour inside. One would be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into a building in Rome or New York such is the innovation and originality of the museum and its contents. A reminder of Liverpool’s rich lineage of history around every corner however, serves as a welcome reminder that visitors are in fact in a city that can boast all the mystery and wonder of those other great cities.

The Museum of Liverpool opens on 19 July, so as an early tourist to the Museum of Liverpool I felt privileged to gain a sneak peek behind its curtain, and was by no means disappointed. Standing proudly on the Pier Head, the museum has tastefully blended the old with the new, and this is one of many factors as to why I am sure this will be the first of many visits for me in the future.

Record breaking visitor figures at 2010 John Moores Painting Prize

We were pretty confident this was a special exhibition but it is always nice when our visitors agree! Almost 47,000 people have visited since it opened its doors in September, making this the most popular 'John Moores Painting Prize' in the competition’s 53 year history!

The exhibition is open until 3 January 2011, but visitor figures already stand at 10,000 more than the final figure for the last exhibition in 2008, when Liverpool was crowned European Capital of Culture.

If you are stuck for Christmas present ideas or would just like a memento of this year’s fantastic exhibition why not pick up one of our exclusive Gary Hume badges at the Walker Art Gallery shop (£9.95)? All proceeds go towards funding future exhibitions.

We had some exciting news recently from one of the John Moores exhibitors, Cara Nahaul, who has been selected along with two other artists for the Jerwood Painting Fellowship 2011.

Cara's painting "Somewhere between prayer and agenda"

Born in 1987, Cara is one of this year's youngest exhibitors and is following in the foot steps of other John Moores artists whose inclusion in the exhibition has proved to be an important stepping stone in their career. One of the best examples being the artist Peter Doig, whose work broke records in 2007 when it sold for £5.7 million, and who has described his John Moores win in 1993 as a "pivotal point".

Cara says: “To be selected for this year's John Moores Painting Prize was an amazing opportunity for myself as an artist, as it allowed me to see my work in a national institution. Having my work shown at John Moores gave me the confidence and impetus to pursue my professional practice. I applied for the Jerwood Visual Arts painting fellowship and was selected to make work for an exhibition in 2011 at Jerwood Gallery.“

Jerwood Painting Fellowships are a new initiative from Jerwood Visual Arts designed to promote and support emerging artists in the field of painting. It follows the Jerwood Contemporary Painters series, which came to an end earlier this year after a four year run, and previously the Jerwood Painting Prize.

The John Moores Painting Prize continues at the Walker Art Gallery until 3 January 2011

Jason discusses his colourful and complex painting.

Aaron Eastwood is a final year English student at the University of Liverpool and is currently volunteering with us in the press office. Yesterday he went along to the Walker Art Gallery to catch the last of the John Moores artist talks. Here is what he made of it:

Local artist Jason Thompson’s painting, ‘Refractions (Robert Hooke)’, stands proudly in this year’s John Moores Painting Prize as the first piece made by a National Museums Liverpool employee to be chosen for exhibition!

Jason himself visited the gallery yesterday to talk about his work, explaining the creative processes involved in the conception and production of his work.

The distinct painting is small yet powerfully visual. Bold, angular lines of enamel paint emanate strikingly from the plywood background. These ‘threads of colour’ as Jason put it, criss-cross and intertwine over many layers. It was fascinating to hear that Jason’s creative methods are based on ‘random, intuitive mark-making’ and I really got the sense that Jason truly believes in and enjoys the long, natural processes involved in his artwork. He only works with ‘found’ objects, including the paints he works with. As a result he never mixes colours, so all his colours are chosen rather than manipulated in the mixing process, which adds to the earthly feel of the work and shows just how much effort goes into each piece.

One keen audience member commented that a friend’s child, on viewing the painting, had exclaimed that he just wanted to ‘reach out and grab the painting to see if the colourful sticks would move.’ I thought this was an excellent observation: the painting, although static, seems in constant motion and has a very inviting, tactile quality.

Jason further explained that the reference in the painting’s title to the natural philosopher Robert Hooke had no explicit representational meaning but was meant to evoke comparisons to the natural evolutionary processes involved in the formation of living things.

We’re all very proud of Jason’s achievement in the exhibition – well done!