Open Eye Gallery

Gallery and archive in Liverpool, UK

53°24′13″N 2°59′37″W / 53.4037°N 2.9936°W / 53.4037; -2.9936TypeRegistered charityCollectionsBert Hardy, Edith Tudor-Hart, Chris Steele-Perkins, Tom Wood[1]Collection size1600 prints from 100 photographers[2]DirectorSarah Fisher[3]ArchitectRCKaWebsiteopeneye.org.uk

Open Eye Gallery is a photography gallery and archive in Liverpool, UK[4] that was established in 1977.[5] It is housed in a purpose-built building on the waterfront at Mann Island,[5] its fourth location.

Open Eye Gallery comprises an exhibition space on one floor and an archive space on another,[2] and has large-scale graphic art installations on its external facade.[2] It is the only gallery dedicated to photography and related media in North West England.[5] It is a non-profit organisation[4] and a registered charity.[6]

History

Open Eye Gallery first opened in Whitechapel, Liverpool (1977–1988); then Bold Street (1989–1995); then Wood Street (1996[6]–2011); and finally Mann Island (2011–present).[2][7][8][9] Its current building was purpose-built.[5][9][10]

Lorenzo Fusi was appointed its artistic director in 2013.[5] Sarah Fisher replaced him as executive director in 2015.[11]

Notable photographers and exhibitions shown

  • Toshio Iwai (1995)[12]
  • Jacob Aue Sobol (2006)[13]
  • Mitch Epstein (2011)[9]
  • Chris Steele-Perkins (2011)[9]
  • Martin Parr (2012)[14]
  • Tim Hetherington (2013)[15]
  • Alvin Baltrop (2013)[16]
  • Letizia Battaglia (2014)[4]
  • North: Identity, Photography, Fashion curated by Lou Stoppard and Adam Murray (2017)[17][18][19][20] and travelled to Somerset House, London.
  • Tom Wood (2018)[21][22][23]
  • Pixy Liao, Lydia Goldblatt, Johanna Heldebro, Jenny Lewis, Momo Okabe, Margaret Mitchell (2019) 'Kinship'[24]
  • Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening? (2023)[25]

Open Eye Archive

Open Eye Gallery has a "considerable archive"[5] of predominantly portraiture and documentary photography.[2] "Formed in 1980, the Open Eye Archive is made up of the work of more than 100 photographers and comprises around 1600 prints."[2]

Significant bodies of work are held by Bert Hardy (Chinese Hostel (1942) and Is There a British Colour Bar? (1949)),[1] Edith Tudor-Hart,[1] Tom Wood,[1][26] Chris Steele-Perkins (The Pleasure Principle),[2] Michelle Sank (The Water's Edge),[1][26] and John McDonald.[1]

Work is also held by[1] John Davies,[1] Gabriele Basilico, Vanley Burke, Bruce Gilden, E. Chambré Hardman, Peter Kennard, Mari Mahr, Peter Marlow, Joel Meyerowitz, Simon Norfolk, Martin Parr,[26] Ewen Spencer, Ed van der Elsken, John Edwards),[26] Ian Beesley, Steve Conlan, Philippe Conti, Will Curwen, Paul Fazackerley, Steve Hale, Sean Halligan,[26] Thurston Hopkins, Greg Leach, Peter Hagerty, Harry Hammond, Derek Massey, Neil McDowall, Rob Meighen, Paul O'Donnell, Caroline Penn, Michael Robinson, Ludwig Schirmer, Samantha Seneviratne, Patrick Shanahan, John Stoddart,[26] Wolfgang Suschitzky, Jan Svenungsson, Ali Taptik,[26] Sandy Volz, Wojtek Wilczyk, Rob Williams, and David Reid.[26]

Publication

  • The Water's Edge. By Michelle Sank and Joanne Lacey. Liverpool: Open Eye; Liverpool University, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84631-084-3. With a foreword by Patrick Henry, essays by Joanne Lacey, and a text by Roy Exley. Portraits by Sank of women who work, or worked, on the Liverpool waterfront. Published on the occasion of an exhibition.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Archive – Open Eye Gallery". Open Eye Gallery. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Michael, Apphia (7 November 2011). "New Open Eye Gallery space, Liverpool". Wallpaper. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. ^ "People – Open Eye Gallery". Open Eye Gallery. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Spence, Rachel. "Letizia Battaglia: Breaking the Code of Silence". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Robertson, Laura; Pinnington, Mike (28 March 2014). "Top 10 arts venues in Liverpool". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Who's in the House: Live in harmony". The Independent. 31 July 1999. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  7. ^ "History – Open Eye Gallery". Open Eye Gallery. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Aesthetica Magazine – Open Eye Gallery Liverpool Presents, Mitch Epstein; Chris Steele-Perkins, Opening 5 November". Aesthetica. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d "Picture preview: The Open Eye Gallery reopens". The Independent. 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Open Eye Gallery". RCKa. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Open Eye gets new boss". Confidentials. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  12. ^ "A hard art to swallow". The Independent. 9 May 1995. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (28 May 2006). "Photography: Jacob Aue Sobol: Sabine, Liverpool Open Eye Gallery". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (22 January 2012). "Open Eye Liverpool's current shows – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  15. ^ Sharp, Rob (30 August 2013). "Tim Hetherington: The humanity of war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Alvin Baltrop's NYC pier photos to be shown at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool". Gscene. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  17. ^ Jones, Catherine (5 January 2017). "Fascinating photographs of Liverpool street fashion at the Open Eye Gallery". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  18. ^ Dazed (30 November 2016). "How the north of England impacted style". Dazed. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  19. ^ "exploring the north of england's influence on fashion and visual culture". I-d. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  20. ^ Chilvers, Simon (4 January 2017). "Northern soul: a fashion showcase". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Ferry across the memories: all aboard the Mersey crossing – in pictures". The Guardian. 24 January 2018. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Changing faces on the ferry across the Mersey". BBC News. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Tom Wood's The Pier Head goes on show at Open Eye Gallery – British Journal of Photography". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Kinship at Open Eye Gallery | Spectrum Photographic". Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Images capture challenges of 2020s Britain, photographer says". BBC News. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h Moreton-LE, Nick (28 May 2015). "Open Eye exhibition at Kirkby Gallery". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 6 April 2018.

Further reading

  • Bryan Biggs and Julie Sheldon, ed. (2009). Art in a City Revisited. Liverpool University. ISBN 9781846310836.

External links

  • Official website
  • A photograph of the Open Eye Gallery building in Whitechapel, 1989

53°24′13″N 2°59′37″W / 53.4037°N 2.9936°W / 53.4037; -2.9936