Culture Diary w/c 22-09-2014
What’s hot this week? Our pick of the listings from around Liverpool and the rest of the UK…
Tuesday — Towards Tomorrow: 10th Anniversary Auction Exhibition 10am-6pm @ Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art, London — FREE
After 10 years of promoting and exhibiting the most exciting contemporary art, this popular not-for-profit gallery has got the likes of Anthony Gormley, Chris Ofili, Mona Hartoum and Yinka Shonibare to donate artworks to be sold at auction, with all proceeds intended to fund future exhibitions and educational events. But before these artworks go off to their new homes, they will be on display until 30 September 2014. This is a unique opportunity to see and, if you’re lucky enough, buy an original artwork from some of the most sought after contemporary artists.
Last Day: Cabinets of Curiosity: An Exhibition By Markmakers 4-7pm @ The Colonnades, The Albert Docks, Liverpool – FREE
Intrigued by the Cabinets of Curiosity? We are. This successful exhibition held as part of the Independents Biennial brings together a series of drawings, prints, sculptures and paintings that respond to the Warrington Museum’s collection of ethnographic objects, all by the Halton-based arts collective Markmakers.
Private View: William Hunt: Playing the Goat 6-8pm @ PEER, London — FREE
Ever seen an artist drive a car at high speed into a concrete barrier, covering himself in paint in the process? No? Well you’ll want to visit PEER soon. William Hunt is, first and foremost, a performance artist who uses this versatile medium as a springboard for the development of sculptures and installations. His current exhibition presents an opportunity to see this new commission: ‘presenting himself both as heroic protagonist and foolish prankster’ for our benefit.
Wednesday — Mes Petites Amoureuses 6.30pm @ FACT, Liverpool — £8
As part of film programme curated to accompany the Sharon Lockhart exhibition at FACT, Mes Petites Amoureuses (My Little Darlings, if you’re wondering), is the last of director Jean Eustache’s feature films. The 1974 film follows what happens to an adolescent boy who is hurled into frantic city life after the security of a quiet rural life: the portrayal of a life grown up too fast.
Childe of Hale Screening 7-8pm @ the Bluecoat, Liverpool — FREE
Artist Richard Whitby presents his new film about the ‘Giant of Hale’, John Middleton (1578–1623), who was said to be over nine feet tall and slept with his feet hanging out of the window in the village were he lived, Hale near Liverpool. We won’t spoil it, but you can see more of Richard’s work here.
The Nakeds: Curators Tour 6-6.30pm @ The Drawing Room, London — FREE
The co-curators of The Nakeds exhibition — exploring drawings of the human body — art historian Gemma Blackshaw and artist David Austen, will be conducting an introductory tour of the exhibition tonight before its official opening on Thursday. This is a great chance to get a sneak-peek of the drawings on display, including wonderful works from David Austen, Tracey Emin, Egon Schiele, Louise Bourgeois and Andy Warhol.
Thursday — A Little History: Bleddyn Butcher on Nick Cave 6:30-7:30pm @ Somerset House, London — £10
A little over a week after the release of the already critically-acclaimed Nick Cave documentary 20,000 Days on Earth, Somerset House holds a one off talk with photographer Bleddyn Butcher who for 30 years has documented the rise of Nick Cave. There are arguably few others who claim to have such an expansive and greater insight into the iconic musician’s career, so this is a rare opportunity to hear all the secrets. Read our playlist article on Cave here.
Friday — Last Day: Sam Smith: Frames of Reference 12-5pm @ The Royal Standard, Liverpool — FREE
Frames of Reference is the second of three solo exhibitions as part of this artist-led gallery’s programme of research during Liverpool Biennial. Through the mediums of film and sculpture, Smith explores the relationship that exists between two such essential practices, and how the cinematic lens acts as a frame to a host of animate and inanimate objects. In doing so, we are asked to question and rethink how the two mediums are perceived.
Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia 2014 12-4am @ Camp and Furnace, Liverpool — Day Ticket £25/£27.50 (Weekend Ticket £50/£55)
Now in its third year, this much-loved, small festival of everything psychedelic is back for two days of contemporary music, visual art and film. Expect headline performances from the likes of Suuns, Allah-Las, The Besnard Lakes and Wolf People. Last year, Psych Fest “scored themselves a 150 microgram hit” (The Quietus) and this year they are set to do the same.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Saturday – Asia Triennial @ venues across Manchester — FREE
“We are at war”: so said Asia Triennial director Alnoor Mitha in a recent interview with us about the (very) timely theme of this year’s festival, ‘Conflict and Compassion’. Expect an ambitious array of artists and commissions at multiple venues including the Imperial War Museum North, Castlefield Gallery and Bury Sculpture Centre. Festival continues until 23 November 2014.
Yuan Gong: Losing Control Performance 1pm & 2pm @ Manchester Cathedral — FREE
As part of a series of multimedia performances for the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), former Venice Biennale exhibiting artist Yuan Gong presents Losing Control: a visceral response to the demolition of his own studio space and the struggles that he has had to face as a consequence. With the help of dancers from the Shanghai institute of Theatre Studies, the performance explores the interactions between the body and a man-made bamboo structure.
Sunday — The Jim Jones Revue 7.30-11pm @ Sound Control, Manchester — £15
After seven years of writing and recording, The Jim Jones Revue has decided to call it quits and what better way than with The Last Hurrah tour. If you‘re up for “a growling, snarling blast of intransigent r‘n’r” (BBC Music) then you’re in for a treat. We’re sad to see the last of them but tonight’s show is guaranteed to be an epic night of raucous rock’n'roll.
Last Day: International Exchanges: Modern Art and St Ives 1915-1965 10am @ Tate St Ives — £7
In the decades between 1940 and 1960, St Ives made famous some of the country’s most prolific artists of the 20th century — we’re talking Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron and Peter Lanyon. The exhibition shows the development of such artists over this period and how national and international influences helped to shape the St Ives art scene. The exhibition is a welcome exploration of the legacy of such a rich artistic history before the exciting opening of some new display galleries in 2016. Great stuff.
