Ubiquity City Social – Modigliani Opera Exhibition

Following on from my last article, I would like to share with you a second art-themed post. This is about a networking event in Liverpool that I attended recently, which featured an art exhibition that was educational, yet so unique and breathtakingly brilliant. In the words of Monty Python, it was something completely different!

This networking event was Ubiquity PR’s City Social. Held at 26 Bold Street in Liverpool, the event was to promote the Modigliani Opera Exhibition. This exhibition is to promote and celebrate the work of Amedeo Modigliani, using 4K videos, cinema screens and VR (virtual reality) technology, to provide an immersive and interactive presentation of the artist’s life and work.

Who is Amedeo Modigliani?

Born in the Italian city of Livorno in July 1884, Amedeo Modigliani is a painter and sculptor. Well know for creating portraits and nudes of a distinctive individual style, Modigliani’s works, which although not greatly received at the time, have since soared in critical appreciation and recognition of his artistic talent. In addition, Modigliani was also interested in poetry and developed acquaintances with notable artists and writers including Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Max Jacob.

Despite his success, Modigliani’s life was also plagued by ill-health, sadly resulting in his death in January 1920 from tubercular meningitis. Such a tragic end was compounded when his fiancé Jeanne Hebuterne committed suicide two days after his death, whilst eight-months pregnant with their second child.

There was plenty I admired about the exhibition. Firstly, I was amazed by how VR was used to present Modigliani’s life and work, which made me feel as if I was in his presence. A second reason was that I liked how the venue was specifically adapted, with the low lighting, shades of darkness and the 4K video screens, giving an atmosphere and a sense of mystique to the exhibition. It was something I had never experienced previously, and it enhanced the exhibition beyond my expectations.

In summary, the exhibition was a delight, as I was impressed with how it brought Modigliani’s work to life before your eyes and ears, making this a powerful educational experience. As well as absorbing the art and culture, there was also the opportunity to network with familiar faces. This helped to nicely compliment the exhibition, meaning I was able to absorb plenty from an educational evening, making this very pleasant to attend.

If you are a fan of Modigliani’s work, a lover of art and culture, or just curious to find out more, I really recommend attending the exhibition. Even better is that it runs till Monday 30^th September, so you can order tickets here.

I would like to thank everyone involved with the exhibition. These include Joel Jelen and everyone at Ubiquity PR, as well as the award-winning The Italian Club for providing the catering. My special thanks also go to the representatives of the Fondazione Amedeo Modigliani. This is for providing a great multimedia exhibition, and for sharing their knowledge about Amedeo Modigliani’s work. You can find more about their work here.

Ciao!

Keith Haring Exhibition at Tate Liverpool – A Review

Although I have never regarded myself as a connoisseur or knowledgeable about art, I do admire the quality and effort that any artist puts into their work. I also respect how artists express themselves through their work, to interpret their views and opinions of the world around them. This was my experience when I attended the Keith Haring Exhibition in Tate Liverpool.

Keith Haring is a renowned American artist who created pop-art and graffiti-based works. Influenced by the street culture of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, he created several works of interesting imagery that reflected various social and political themes, that are still relevant today.

Having never previously heard of Keith Haring, I had no idea what to expect beforehand. Therefore, what I liked about the exhibition, is that it is a multi-sensory tour-de-force in combining the display of his works, with visual and audio displays, chronically his life and work, from his beginnings to his later years.

As well as displaying his talent, the exhibition also conveyed serious and powerful messages. These reflected his activism on subjects including racism, war, LGBT rights, nuclear weapons, apartheid, drugs and the AIDS epidemic. The latter is very poignant, as Keith campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of AIDS and safe sex, before he died of AIDS-related complications in February 1990, at the tragic young age of 31.

I liked the exhibition very much, as I was taken by the colourful and striking appearances of Keith’s work. The imagery was very symbolic, and powerful enough to catch and hold my attention in different ways, through sight and sound. Another compliment is the seriousness of Keith’s later works certainly gave me plenty of food for thought, as it was a painful reminder of how the 1980’s was blighted by prejudice, injustice, fear and ignorance.

Overall, the exhibition is an experience that I seriously recommend. This is because the exhibition is a vivid and educational experience of eye-catching pop-art, that makes use of your senses. Secondly, the exhibition will also take you back to the 1980s and allow you to see how the issues faced then are still relevant and widespread today. A final reason is that as well as learning about the powerful artistic work of Keith Haring, it is important to understand more must be done to tackle the prejudices and injustices that we face today.

Finally, it is also very fitting that Tate Liverpool is hosting this exhibition till Sunday 10^th November. This is because the city of Liverpool has a proud record of being open, diverse and welcoming, whilst resisting and fighting against prejudice and injustice, making the city an ideal host.

You can also find out more about Keith Haring on his foundation’s website.

Weightmans Wednesday – National Museums Liverpool

At last week’s Weightmans Wednesday, I was delighted to listen to Fiona Philpott and Sandra Penketh from National Museums Liverpool (NML). This is a group that consists of 8 free museums and galleries, providing various historical, geographical and contemporary collections and exhibitions. These venues include the Museum of Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum, employing 450 full-time staff.

Listening to Fiona and Sandra, I learned about how successful NML has been for the city. This is because MNL’s economic impact on the Liverpool City Region cannot be underestimated, with 3 million visitors attending the city’s museums and galleries each year, contributing £53 million to the local economy.

NML’s success is down to the tremendous effort put in behind the scenes. Organising successful exhibitions require painstaking negotiations with domestic and international partners, devising alternative ways to maximise resources, and identifying what exhibitions will be effective to reach audiences. In addition to the above, having good background knowledge of subjects related to exhibitions, is also very important.

I also learned from Fiona and Sandra about NML’s willingness to try new things. A classic example is by encouraging and providing creative opportunities for contemporary artists, through the John Moores Painting Prize, which invites contemporary painters to submit and display their works. NML also strongly values the importance of education by working with schools and communities, and promoting social change and equality, by tackling social, historical and contemporary issues. An example is their Pride and Prejudice research project, and the Art of Solidarity exhibition, which explores, educates and presents untold stories, through interactive and accessible means.

Fiona and Sandra also touched on some of the upcoming exhibitions. An example is the Terracotta Warriors, which is coming to Liverpool in 2018. Whilst I have already seen pictures of the exhibition, it has already attracted considerable media attention, and I also believe it to be a real coup for the city of Liverpool, to display this interesting exhibit. Therefore I sincerely hope the Terracotta Warriors exhibition proves to be a major success for NML.

I would like to personally thank Fiona and Sandra for providing a culturally enriching talk. My thanks also go to John Kemp, Henry Sterling and Sarah Gerard of Weightmans, for organising an entertaining evening of networking. My thanks also go to Prescient, for providing a sumptuous buffet, which complimented the experience.

To conclude, Liverpool is a city with plenty to offer from a cultural perspective. With a tremendous wealth of art and history exhibitions, there is so much to visit and learn, from the landmarks, museums and galleries across the city. NML provides many opportunities to educate and enrich the lives of everyone, making it a valuable asset to the city of Liverpool.

Liverpool Biennial – An Introduction

For some people reading this article, the name of the Liverpool Biennial may sound familiar. However others may be unfamiliar with it, which is why I have decided to shed a light on the good work the Biennial does for the city.

Liverpool Biennial is the biggest free festival of contemporary art in the UK. By holding events across the city over a 14 week period, the purpose of the festival is to promote the latest artworks and community projects. This features both national and international artists and is focused on contemporary visual art, which are displayed in Liverpool’s museums, cultural landmarks and galleries.

This year, the festival is being held from 9^th July to 16^th October, which promises to be another exciting occasion for Liverpool. If you are interested, you can find out more information here.

Since its launch in 1999, the Liverpool Biennial has provided a massive boost to Liverpool’s economy, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city. This has not only helped Liverpool in becoming a popular tourist destination, but it has also given opportunities for artists to create and express their works to a wider audience.

So what has the Liverpool Biennial done for the city? To answer this, I have listed some of the benefits below, which provide a snapshot of the festival’s positive impact on Liverpool.

• The festival has presented work from 400 artists from 72 countries since 1999.
• From 2004 to 2014 the economic impact of the Liverpool Biennial has generated £119.6m for the city.
• Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 200 artworks.
• The festival also runs education programmes with schools, communities and other organisations from the public and private sectors.
• In 2014, there were 877,000 visitors who attended the festival.

The Liverpool Biennial is more than just about attracting and entertaining visitors through art and culture. This is because the festival plays an important role in promoting Liverpool, both as a successful city and brand, to the UK and the rest of the world. The Biennial achieves this through not only through hard work and commitment, but also from support and sponsorship from organisations and businesses.

Through my time working and exploring the city, I have grown to appreciate Liverpool’s art and culture. From the Albert Dock, to the Walker Art Gallery, there is so much to see and do in Liverpool, which makes me feel very proud of my city. I appreciate and salute the fine work that Liverpool Biennial does, and I hope they continue to do so.