Arts and Culture
Discover the best of arts and culture in Liverpool, featuring exhibitions, interviews, and cultural events celebrating the city’s creative spirit.
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Paul Pike
Paul Pike finds the everyday magic in the lost objects and the poetry of Merseyside streets. In the swirl of everyday London—or Merseyside, or perhaps somewhere between wherever poetry lives—Paul Pyke finds wonder. His submitted poem Dance Battle came to life not from grand inspiration, but from something as small and concrete as an abandoned bangle beside a pigeon flock. That quiet moment, waiting for trains and sausage rolls, sparked a poem about collision, imagination, and possibility. As Pyke…
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Creative Spotlight: In Conversation with Naive John
From pixels to paint — Naive John builds images that resist meaning and reward patience. On the edge of Liverpool’s Toxteth district, amid terraced streets and the low hum of passing traffic, there’s a studio that feels less like an artist’s room and more like a laboratory. The light is subdued. Brushes are laid out with care. A monitor glows quietly in the corner. At the centre of it all stands Naive John — painter,…
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Beyond the Screen: Bruno Castro on Emotion, Discussion and Independent Documentary Film In Liverpool
Liverpool is a city alive with music, theatre, and grassroots storytelling — yet independent cinema, especially documentary, remains under-served. Beyond multiplexes and occasional screenings, there is no permanent, publicly minded space for non commercial film exhibition and discussion. Liverpool Doc Club steps into that gap, not as a conventional venue, but as a curatorial project and a community in formation. Founded by a curator with experience from Lisbon to UK festivals and cineclubs – Bruno…
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Art After Dark: 16 Birkenhead Venues Unite For Creative Celebration
Following the buzz of its initial announcement earlier this year, Art After Dark has today reached a major milestone by confirming the full list of 16 venues participating in the town-wide creative trail on Friday 20 March 2026. What began as a successful pilot has evolved into a massive cultural takeover. From the industrial energy of the docks to the heart of the high street, the event will transform Birkenhead into a late-night hive of…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Matthew Jacobson
Life, Light, and Humanity in a Single Train Ride Matthew Jacobson has always been a writer who sees what others miss. Whether he’s walking the length of County Road or digging into the myth and music of the city, he writes with an instinctive feel for people — their rhythms, their stories, their quiet heroism. In 55 Minutes, his acutely observational poem, that same instinct is directed toward a moving stage: a Northern train carriage, packed with the…
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Liverpool Makers Bazaar Spotlight on Luesday
Lucy Kelly is the creative mind and nimble fingers behind Luesday an evolving collection of unique jewellery and miniature mosaics. While Lucy remembers wearing her own handmade jewellery at primary school it was painting that was her first creative endeavour as an adult. Painting on request for family and friends she would tackle any subject, pets, people, buildings. The recipients were thrilled. Most pieces still claiming pride of place on many a wall. Lucy moved…
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Preview: Brendan Lyons – Discreet Discrete Exhibition At Bridewell Studios
Where paint deceives and asserts itself, Brendan Lyons makes the familiar feel unexpectedly alive… At first glance, Brendan Lyons’ work appears to flirt with the familiar. Tape, plastic, folds, fixings — the everyday language of the studio and the street. But linger for a moment longer and that certainty begins to slip. What looks like one thing quietly reveals itself as another. Paint becomes object, surface becomes substance, and perception is gently but persistently unsettled.…
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In Conversation – Elinor Randle
Past, politics, people — Unity carries them all into a future that’s safe and fiercely of it’s own making. There are buildings in Liverpool that don’t just hold memories, they argue back. Unity Theatre is one of them. Tucked just off Hope Street, it’s a space that has always felt slightly out of step with the city’s grander cultural institutions — and proudly so. Born out of the Merseyside Left Theatre in the 1930s, Unity’s roots…
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Knock Twice Cabaret Returns with ‘SÉANCE’ – An Immersive After-Hours Cabaret Ritual in Liverpool
The first Knock Twice Cabaret didn’t feel like a show – it felt like a secret. A prohibition-themed night of jazz, drag and comedy, the debut edition welcomed just fifty people into a hidden room with a clear stage, an electric atmosphere and a sense of shared discovery. It sold out fast. But for Franz Genau – the enigmatic Emcee and enfant terrible of Liverpool’s cabaret scene – the real magic wasn’t just the performance.…
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Masking In Makeup: Being An Autistic Drag Queen – Coco Fabulicious
Growing up as an autistic person, I always felt different. It was like my brain functioned on a different frequency to everyone else’s. For as long as I can remember I had the most fantastical, weird and wonderful thoughts going through my head. Colours, sounds and textures felt deeply intense, and I would always be coming out with things that other people found super odd. Being autistic can feel like you’re on another planet. As…
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dot-art Celebrates 20 Years of Art for Everyone
Since 2006, dot-art has been at the heart of the Liverpool City Region’s cultural landscape, championing local artists and making art accessible to all. To celebrate their 20th birthday in 2026, the social enterprise is planning a series of events and exhibitions, as well as reflecting on their impact over the past two decades. February will see the launch of two exhibitions. At the dot-art space at INNSiDE hotel on Old Hall Street, TWENTY will showcase large…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Frankie Reed
Frankie Reed blurs history, divinity, and the body to uncover sweetness in the places we least expect it. There’s a certain charge that runs through Frankie Reed’s work—an electricity that comes from holding history, divinity, and the strange machinery of the human body in the same quiet breath. A Liverpool-born poet and visual artist, Frankie moves easily between mediums, stitching together symbolism, emotion, and physicality with an instinct that feels both scholarly and instinctively visceral. Their background in…
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Preview: Ken O’Hare Retrospective at Bridewell Studios
Ken O’Hare – A Retrospective of Calm in a City of Movement For Kenneth O’Hare, the city was never simply a place of movement and noise. It was a site of contemplation — a space where silence could be found in steel, glass and light. A Gentle Man: A Retrospective of the work of Kenneth O’Hare, presented at Bridewell Studios & Gallery, offers the first comprehensive overview of an artist whose quiet, meditative vision of…
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LOOK Climate Lab 2026 Launches at Open Eye Gallery Exploring Climate Change Through Photography
LOOK Climate Lab returns in 2026 with a major biennial programme exploring how photography can be used as a powerful and relevant medium for engaging with the climate crisis. Taking place from 23 January to 29 March 2026, LOOK Climate Lab 2026 will see Open Eye Gallery transformed into an experimental “lab” space, bringing together artists, researchers and activists to test ideas, share knowledge and spark discussion around the systemic changes needed to address climate…
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Sober Scribbles: Creating A Space for New Writing at Unity Theatre
How Sober Scribbles Is Reimagining Community, Care and Creativity at the Unity… On Wednesday 21 January, Unity Theatre hosts Sober Scribbles, a scratch night offering something quietly radical in a city where theatre bars and post-show drinks are often taken for granted: a deliberately alcohol-free space for writers, performers and audiences to come together around new work. At its heart, Sober Scribbles is about community. “It’s a space for anyone interested in writing in an…
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New British Music Experience Exhibition Explores The Artwork Behind Arctic Monkeys’ Iconic Debut Album
The British Music Experience is set to revisit one of the most defining visual moments in modern British music with Don’t Believe the Hype… Uncovering the Artwork of Arctic Monkeys’ Debut Album, a new temporary exhibition opening in Liverpool this January. Launching exactly 20 years to the day since the release of Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the exhibition takes a deep dive into the creation and cultural legacy of one…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Angela Cheveau
Angela Cheveau – Where brick becomes wing and mourning becomes melody, “Liverpool Angels” finds the city’s soul in its women… Every so often, a poem arrives that feels unmistakably shaped by the city it comes from —its accent, its attitude, its stubborn refusal to look away. Liverpool Angels, a work from Liverpool poet Angela Cheveau, is exactly that kind of piece: tender, tough, and deeply rooted in the lived experience of working-class women whose strength often goes unspoken. Cheveau…
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Noise From The City: The National Year of Reading
Dear Somebody, Book worm or not, we can all agree that reading is fundamental. Recently, a year-long scheme has been announced by the Department of Education to help increase the number of people reading across the nation. The National Year of Reading is a campaign set up in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust to address the significant decline in reading abilities and enjoyment across all age groups in the UK. The initiative came after…
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FACT Liverpool Unveils a Year of Immersive, Interactive Exhibitions for 2026
FACT Liverpool has announced its full 2026 exhibitions programme, featuring newly commissioned artworks, locally embedded participatory projects, and major installations by emerging and established artists. Using playable game worlds and AI technologies, the exhibitions explore quests for greater meaning through the creation of new mythologies rooted in ancestral knowledge, more-than-human perspectives, and acts of congregation and resistance. Alongside the re-staging of existing works, FACT is delighted to present new commissions by Vytas Jankauskas, Sahjan Kooner,…
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Creative Spotlight: In Conversation with Rowena Gander
Rewriting the Rules: How Rowena Gander Turns the Pole into Power, Memory, and Queer Visibility Gander is quietly rewriting what it means to be a queer performer in Liverpool. And she’s doing it from a pole. Not the kind you see in glossy magazines or nightclub corners, but a pole that doubles as memory, as protest, as stage partner, and as research object. Liverpool’s arts scene has always had its heavyweights, but few artists here…
Liverpool has long been recognised as one of the UK’s most creative cities, with a thriving arts and culture scene that continues to inspire, innovate, and attract visitors from across the globe. From world-class art galleries and museums to grassroots exhibitions, community-led projects, and bold new work from emerging artists, the city offers an ever-changing landscape of creativity.
Our arts and culture in Liverpool section celebrates everything from major cultural moments to intimate creative experiences. Here, you’ll find coverage of the city’s most exciting art exhibitions, from Tate Liverpool’s thought-provoking contemporary shows to Bluecoat’s pioneering visual arts programme and FACT’s boundary-pushing exploration of digital culture. We also shine a spotlight on independent galleries and artist-run spaces, such as Output Gallery and dot-art, which champion local talent and give a platform to Liverpool’s diverse artistic voices.
But arts and culture in Liverpool is about more than exhibitions. It’s also about the stories behind the artists, curators, and cultural leaders who shape the city. Through interviews, features, and opinion pieces, we explore the inspirations, challenges, and creative journeys of those contributing to Liverpool’s cultural life. Whether it’s an established painter, a theatre director, or a multidisciplinary artist experimenting with new forms, we share their perspectives and amplify their work.
Liverpool’s cultural calendar is packed with must-see events, and this section keeps you up to date with the highlights. From visual arts festivals like Liverpool Biennial, to multi-arts celebrations such as Africa Oyé and Homotopia, we cover the festivals and events that bring people together and reflect the city’s spirit of creativity and inclusion. Alongside these larger-scale happenings, we also look at grassroots cultural activity—pop-up exhibitions, open studios, and collaborative community projects that keep the city’s cultural identity vibrant and alive.
The city’s strong cultural foundations, built on its history as a UNESCO City of Music and European Capital of Culture 2008, continue to fuel innovation. Today, arts and culture in Liverpool is about creating accessible, inclusive, and exciting opportunities for everyone to experience creativity. Whether you’re interested in traditional painting and sculpture, cutting-edge digital installations, performance art, or cultural heritage, Liverpool offers something for every taste.
By exploring this section, you’ll discover not only what’s on, but also gain insights into why the arts matter here and now. Liverpool’s artists and cultural organisations are shaping important conversations about identity, diversity, community, and the future—and we’re here to share their stories.
So whether you’re planning your next gallery visit, looking to discover a new artist, or simply want to stay connected with the heartbeat of Liverpool’s creative scene, this category is your guide to everything happening in arts and culture across the city.