Catch Them While You Can
A New Year is barely upon us but if you’re not careful you’re liable to miss out on some fine exhibitions doing the rounds…
Post Liverpool Biennial 2012 you could be forgiven for thinking that curators, galleries and the art-going public might take a break and lie low for a little while, give those cultural batteries a chance for a recharge, but a quick glance at exhibition listings shows just how wrong you would be.
We’re all the more grateful for it as those shows immediately in the aftermath of the largest international contemporary art festival in the UK do so much more than simply fill a Biennial sized void. Plus, what would we have to write about?
Don’t hang about though, as they’ll be gone just as quickly as they seemed to appear. Following are five exhibitions you need to catch while you can:
Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken – The Source @ Tate Liverpool (until 13th Jan)
Jack White, Tilda Swinton and Beck are just a handful of those interviewed for Doug Aitken’s rock and roll blockbuster of an installation currently in residence at the Albert Dock outside Tate Liverpool. It makes for a fascinating insight into “what is the source of a creative idea? Where does it start and how is it realised?” You have until Sunday to grab the opportunity to hear answers to these questions from the horses’ mouths.
Tracing The Century @ Tate Liverpool (until 20th January)
Maybe our favourite exhibition currently out there, Tracing The Century is a celebration, shouted from the roof tops about the power of drawing. Featuring work from no less than Gauguin, Cezanne, Picasso, Hockney, Warhol and Emin, this exhibition takes an exhaustive look at different artists’ approaches to the much underrated skill. But for all those superstar names, don’t miss out on the trio of William Kentridge animations at the exhibition’s end.
A Universal Archive William Kentridge as Printmaker @ the Bluecoat (until 3rd Feb)
Which leads us nicely onto A Universal Archive, taking an in-depth look at South African Kentridge’s wealth of versatility as a printmaker. Featuring around 100 pieces ranging from the relatively small and intimate, to vast, imposing works covering a range of media and techniques, A Universal Archive is an eye opener to what can be achieved in print.
A Lecture Upon the Shadow @ Open Eye Gallery (until 17th Feb)
The only gallery dedicated to photography in the North West, Open Eye have had a number of interesting and challenging exhibitions in their new home, and A Lecture Upon the Shadow is certainly no different. A kind of cultural exchange between the NW and Shanghai, featuring as it does three artists from each, ALUtS is a pioneering collaboration between Open Eye and ShanghArt.
Winter Sparks @ FACT (until 24th Feb)
Opening in the rush prior to Christmas, as with so many exhibitions this time of year, Winter Sparks risked being overlooked. But miss out on what is essentially an impressively large scale sound and light show at your peril. Presenting new media work harnessing electricity in a gallery context was always going to have interesting results, but Winter Sparks is no flash in the pan.
