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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Poetry Has Plenty To Say: Liverpool Poetry Space Looks Ahead To An Autumn Of Words, Voices And Collaboration
Poetry can sometimes be made to sound like a rather serious business. Books arrive with solemn covers, readings take place in hushed rooms and the word poetry itself can still carry the slightly intimidating suggestion that somebody, somewhere, is about to make you feel inadequately educated. But as you know, Liverpool has never been particularly good at that sort of thing. And this autumn, Liverpool Poetry Space is offering another reminder that poetry can be…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Suswati Basu
Suswati Basu – A Poetic Testament to Resilience and Adaptation Suswati Basu’s contribution to the 52 for 26 poetry project – Hide and Seek – is a piece that sits quietly at first glance, yet carries a profound emotional resonance. It is a poem shaped not by abstraction but by lived reality — an intimate reflection on what it means to navigate the world when the tools you rely on begin to slip through your fingers. Basu…
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How Charlotte Barry Is Creating Accessible Spaces for Merseyside’s Artists
Creatives of the City Series by Grace Stokoe Content note: references to domestic abuse, agoraphobia and depression. Charlotte Barry is a non-binary local artist and event planner, ‘Anfield born and bred’, who aims to build accessible spaces for creatives across Merseyside. Barry launched their events business, Unnamed Project Exhibition, in August 2023, attracting over 60 people to showcase and soak in art around the theme ‘Individuality’. From artwork and original music to interpretive dance, Barry…
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‘Only Woman Electrician In UK Film’, Vanessa Woolf, Lifts Lids on 90s Hollywood at Capstone Theatre
A remarkable true story from behind the scenes of some of Hollywood’s biggest films of the 90s is coming to Liverpool this autumn. The acclaimed one-woman show She’s Electric: My Strange but True Story arrives at the Capstone Theatre on Friday 9 October at 7.30pm, telling the extraordinary story of Vanessa Woolf, who spent a decade as the only woman working successfully as an electrician in the UK film industry. Prior to her current role as a…
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Creative Spotlight: In Conversation with Pete Carr
Pete Carr: The Art of Looking Closer… Photography began for Pete Carr as a creative outlet, but the reasons he was drawn towards it reveal something fundamental about the way he sees the world. The technology appealed to his autistic fascination with how things work, while the immediacy of pressing a shutter and seeing something you have made appear on the back of the camera provided a form of creative gratification that drawing had never…
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Grindr: The Opera! Writer Erik Ransom on Love, Lust and the Search for Connection
When Erik Ransom first began writing Grindr: The Opera!, Grindr wasn’t even the subject. The piece began life as Manhunt: The Opera, inspired by Ransom’s fascination with the wildly contrasting intentions he encountered on early online dating and hook-up sites. Some users were looking for sex, others romance, some something considerably more complicated. Beneath all those different desires, however, Ransom recognised a common thread: connection. With a background in classical music and a taste for…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Pauline Smith
Pauline Smith – Unearthing the Family Stories We Inherit Poems arrive with a depth that stops you mid-stride, and Pauline Smith’s The Point of No Return is one of them. Written for Liverpool Noise’s 52 for 26 poetry project, this poem unearths a story long buried beneath family silence and the heavy legacy of the Suez Crisis. Smith turns her attention to her uncle John, once a young swimming attendant whose life was abruptly rerouted by conflict in…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Laura Ferries
Invisible Structures: Finding Poetry in the Overlooked – THE SCAFFOLDER by Laura Ferries Scaffolding is meant to be temporary. It rises, supports, and disappears—essential to creation, yet almost always ignored. For Liverpool poet and spoken word artist Laura Ferries, this became the perfect lens through which to explore permanence, impermanence, and the hidden frameworks in our lives. The poem draws inspiration from her brother James, a scaffolder whose work took him high above Bramley-Moore Dock during the construction…
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Sean Street’s Candlelight Finds Beauty, Memory and Hope in Everyday Moments
Sean Street’s Candlelight: Finding Light in the Fleeting Moment… A candle flame is one of life’s simplest images. It offers warmth, illumination and companionship, yet it also reminds us of how fragile existence can be. For acclaimed poet, broadcaster and author Sean Street, that delicate balance between light and shadow forms the emotional heart of his latest poetry collection, Candlelight. Street has long been recognised as one of Britain’s most distinctive literary voices. Alongside an…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Jack Horner
Punk Energy, Political Fire: The Evolution of Jack Horner A particular voltage that runs through Jack Horner’s work—an electric, post-punk charge that feels as though it’s been wired directly into the national mood. Better known to many as Leon the Pig Farmer, Horner has built a reputation as one of the North’s most uncompromising performance poets, delivering verse with the urgency of someone who’s stared down the worst and decided to speak anyway. Three books…
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Meet Louis Ormond: The 21-Year-Old Local Filmmaker Who’s Worked With Charli XCX and Drake
Creatives of the City Series by Grace Stokoe Freelance filmmaker and producer, Louis Ormond, has taken the industry by storm. Landing jobs with the likes of Molly Mae, Drake and Charli XCX before graduating university, the 21-year-old is undoubtedly destined for success. Having grown up on the Wirral, Ormond’s creative spark was apparent from a very young age. Remembering a family holiday to Portugal and the photograph he captured of a local lizard, he says:…
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Museum of Liverpool Announces New Exhibition Celebrating 70 Years of The Cavern Club
A new exhibition 70 Years of The Cavern Club is set to open in Liverpool in 2027 celebrating 70 years of one of the world’s most iconic live music venues. The new exhibition, in collaboration with The Cavern Club charts the venue’s rise from a post-war jazz club in a Mathew Street cellar, to global cultural phenomenon and the thriving live venue it is today. Internationally recognised as the birthplace of The Beatles and the defining venue…
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52 for 26 Poetry Project: Helen Harrison
Helen Harrison: A Northern Voice with National Reach There’s a moment in Alasdair Gray’s Lanark when the character Thaw delivers a line that lingers long after the page is turned: “if a city hasn’t been used by an artist, not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively.” It’s a sentiment that lands with particular resonance when thinking about the towns that sit just beyond Liverpool’s gravitational pull – the Prescots, the Kirbys, the in-between places that…
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Two LOOK Photo Biennial 2026 Exhibitions Now Open at Open Eye Gallery
Open Eye Gallery has unveiled two exhibitions exploring our complex relationship with gardens, flowers and the natural world as part of LOOK Photo Biennial 2026. Running until 31 August, Is This a Garden? and The Perfect Flower consider how gardens are shaped by social conditions, history, class and labour, while examining the cultural forces that influence how plants are classified, valued and perfected. Is This a Garden? Presented across Galleries 1 and 2, Is This…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Neve Smith
Neve Smith – Finding Humour in the Noise of an Anxious Mind Poetry has a unique ability to take experiences that can feel isolating and make them instantly recognisable. For this edition of Liverpool Noise’s 52 for ’26 Poetry Project, Neve Smith does exactly that with It’s Not Spiders, a poem that transforms the private turbulence of anxiety into something vivid, compelling and deeply human. At first glance, the poem appears disarmingly playful. Smith adopts…
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Creative Spotlight: In Conversation with Ursula Starr
Ursula Starr – Process, Place and the Freedom to Experiment… Making art for Ursula Starr has never been about arriving at definitive answers. Instead, it is an ongoing conversation with landscape, memory and material; a practice shaped as much by curiosity as experience, where experimentation is not simply a method but a philosophy. Across decades of painting and printmaking, she has cultivated an approach that remains remarkably open—one that values discovery over certainty and embraces…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Louise Evans
Louise Evans – Where Language, Feeling, and Music Meet in a Moment of Joy Louise Evans arrives to the 52 for 26 project with an academic’s precision and a performer’s instinct for rhythm. Fresh from completing her doctorate, an exploration of Spanish, digital poetry, and the ways female identities are shaped and reshaped in the contemporary creative economy, Evans brings a thoughtful, multilingual sensibility to her work. She teaches Spanish at the University of Liverpool…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Pete Scott
Everyday life, mental health, and the rhythms of the city captured in verse Pete Scott is part of the quieter but no less vital strain of voices on Liverpool’s poetryscene. An autistic poet, he draws much of his inspiration from the observations ofeveryday life, from the rhythms of a city and its people, and from the challenges andcomplexity of mental health. He’s taken to open‐mics around Liverpool to share hiswork, and is currently working on…
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Creative Studio Dorothy Launch Alternative World Cups Tournament
Liverpool based creative studio Dorothy has launched an Alternative World Cups tournament to coincide with FIFA’s own World Cup 2026 competition. From seeding and cup draws to commentary, league tables and knockout rounds, Dorothy playfully combines a love of football with cup kitsch to create a tournament with a twist. 48 cups (and countries) from around the world are participating in the competition. Cups from as far afield as Australia to Uruguay are going to…
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Drag Feast: The New Liverpool Drag Showcase Celebrating the City’s Queer Talent
Liverpool has always been famous for its drag. From Lily Savage to Danny Beard, from Lavinia to The Vivienne, Liverpool has produced some of the most iconic British drag performers of all time. Liverpool’s LGBT quarter is known for its rainbow street signs and vibrant bars, where glittering drag queens usher eager party-goers inside packed out bars to dance the night away. Recently, however, the mood has been more subdued. Many venues are closing down…
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.