Art Exhibitions in Liverpool
Your guide to the latest art exhibitions in Liverpool, featuring major galleries, independent spaces, and must-see shows across the city.
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Light Night 2016; Friday 13th May
LightNight, Liverpool’s one-night arts & culture festival, takes place Friday 13th May. Experience an unforgettable evening of more than 100 free events as they unlock the doors of our world-class museums, galleries and heritage sites until late. Venues that will be opening late include Walker Art Gallery, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool John Moores University, The Bluecoat, FACT, Baltic Creative, Liverpool University and many more. Follow your own exciting trail of light projections,…
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‘The Creative Process’ Documentary of Liverpool Artists & Why We Make
The Creative Process interviews fourteen Merseyside artists – painters and photographers, sketchers and sculptors, each with their own compelling stories – and investigates the highly subjective nature of their creativity. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukUQQZ2A6Q0] The documentary asks them to explore their artistic journeys – uncovering the varying and extremely personal idiosyncrasies of each individual. We will see how emotionally charged the creation of art is – that the methods and styles of each artist are linked with deeply important people…
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Liverpool Tattoo Convention Returns For Three Days of Entertainment This May
Liverpool Tattoo Convention returns to the city for its 9th year on the 6th, 7th & 8th May 2016 with a theme of ‘Respecting the Past, Celebrating the Present and Embracing the Future’. Renowned for its innovation, non-stop entertainment and atmosphere, and widely perceived as the most prestigious and innovative tattoo event in the UK – the convention returns to the Britannia Adelphi Hotel this year. The 3-day event will include over 250 UK and international tattoo artists, the…
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FACT Exhibition Ryoichi Kurokawa: unfold 11 March – 12 June ’16
The seasoned, Japanese born, avant-garde artist Ryoichi Kurokawa has received varying accolades and acclaim for his work with both music and film. His new project ‘unfold’, produced and funded by FACT, gives the artist his first major exhibition in the UK. Placed in the upper echelons of art with his synthesis of sound and vision. Ryoichi, has a certain notoriety for stimulating the brain with simultaneous audio/visual responses, examining the nexus between sensory stimuli and the physical experience. This is a…
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Sound City: Tim Peaks Diner / Tier 3 Tickets Running Low
Sound City have just announced that Tier 3 tickets are now running very low and are expected to sell out very soon. Be sure to get your tickets now at the limited price of £38 + booking fee for day tickets and £70 + booking fee for weekend tickets. Sound City are also delighted to add more great artists to the Tim Peaks Diner lineup in 2016. Including: Bear Growls • Beds In Parks • Blueprint Blue • Cabbage • Documenta • Hot Vestry • Pheromoans • Riding The Low • Tear…
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FACT Presents New Pop-up Exhibitions With Strong Community Links
This spring, a special programme of pop-up exhibitions will be showcased in the FACT Connects space, in the foyer at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology). FACT Connects is a wide- ranging programme, which engages with members of the community, and allows FACT to connect even more with artists, musicians, and makers. The first two FACT Connects exhibitions of 2016 will explore perspectives on disability and empowerment, as well as delving into Liverpool’s position as a catalyst for digital…
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New Mini Documentary From LaBeouf , Rönkkö & Turner’s #TOUCHMYSOUL Performance at FACT
There is now a mini documentary from LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner’s #TOUCHMYSOUL performance at FACT available online. The project #TOUCHMYSOUL by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner took place at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool from 10 to 13 December 2015, as part of the group exhibition Follow, open to visitors until 21 February 2016 (admission free). Over the four days, LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner invited the public to pick up the telephone…
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Ryoichi Kurokawa: unfold Exhibition at FACT, Liverpool 11 March – 12 June 2016
unfold is a major new commission by acclaimed Japanese artist Ryoichi Kurokawa, exploring the birth and evolution of stars in a groundbreaking immersive and tactile audiovisual installation. This unique sensory experience will be part of Kurokawa’s first ever solo exhibition in the UK, premiering at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool 11 March – 12 June 2016. unfold will offer viewers an artistic, yet scientific, representation of how the solar system was born, and how…
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Metal Presents; Big Mouth Art Exhibition In Liverpool City Centre – Church Street
As part of Liverpool Provocations, Metal presents BIG MOUTH, by MEYOUANDUS. Each evening from 18th January, an illuminated orb will appear in central Liverpool, within which a human mouth appears to silently repeat and absorb the deepest thoughts and secrets of the public. Big Mouth, a mobile installation, aims to tempt participants to speak in confidence away from the superficial veneer of social dialogue. The thoughts are then displayed on the 360° projection, before being…
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Left Hand to Back of Head: New Art Exhibition At The Bluecoat 23rd Jan-28th March
Bluecoat launches its new exhibtion this month exploring how we can experience art beyond what we are able to say about it. The exhibition presents a collection of works that set out to affect the audience on a physical level, through sensations and emotions. Artists include: Rowena Harris // Mary Hurrell // Natalie Finnemore // Mitra Saboury // Marianna Simnett // Marie Toseland // Hannah James // Becky Beasley Left Hand to Back of Head…
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#TOUCHMYSOUL by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner
The project #TOUCHMYSOUL by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner took place at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool from 10 to 13 December 2015. Over the four days, LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner invited the public to pick up the telephone and touch their soul on +44 (0)151 808 0771 during gallery opening hours, while being sat in FACT’s Gallery one which was open for visitors. The performance culminated in Rönkkö tattooing the words…
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#TOUCHMYSOUL LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner Live At FACT
From 11am GMT on 10 December 2015, #TOUCHMYSOUL by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner will commence at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), 88 Wood Street, Liverpool. Over the following four days, LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner invite you to pick up your telephone and touch their soul on +44 (0)151 808 0771 between the hours of 11am – 6pm GMT. The project will also be broadcast live for the duration at touchmysoul.net #TOUCHMYSOUL is part…
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Liverpool Biennial Announces Artists For 2016
Liverpool Biennial have announced the participation of thirty-seven international artists in the 2016 Biennial festival of contemporary art. Among the eclectic mix of artists is Birkenhead born Mark Leckey, who won the Turner Prize in 2008. Liverpool Biennial 2016 will unfold through the landscape of the city. It is organised as a story narrated in several episodes: fictional worlds sited in galleries, museums, pubs, unused spaces, stations, hotels, parking lots, shops and supermarkets. For the…
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Winter Arts Market 2015 At St Georges Hall 5 & 6th December
The seventh annual Winter Arts Market will take place on 5 & 6th December 2015. The Winter Arts Market is Merseyside’s largest arts and crafts market. Held in Liverpool’s glorious Grade-I listed St George’s Hall, it’s the perfect place to pick up some truly unique, handmade Christmas gifts for all those hard-to-buy for friends and family. See this beautiful neo-classical space transformed into a hive of festive activity with thousands upon thousands of items for…
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Sound City To Return As 2 Day Festival in 2016; Pre Sale Registration Open Now
Liverpool Sound City have announced that they will return as a 2 day festival on 28th & 29th May 2016. The festival will return to Bramley Moore Docks after a successful first year on the waterfront site earlier this year. Sound City organisers say that their decision to make the festival a 2 day event rather than 3 day will allow them to bring a more ‘content-rich festival’. They have increased their artist budget in…
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Tower of London Weeping Window Poppies Coming To Liverpool’s St George’s Hall From 7th November
The Weeping Window artwork on display at The Tower of London is coming to Liverpool in November. It is a section of ceramic artist Paul Cummins’ Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation which is a tribute to the fallen in World War One. It is made up of 888,246 poppies, each one representing a life lost in the conflict. It has attracted millions of visitors in London. Liverpool is one of only three locations to…
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Zanele Muholi – VUKANI/RISE Exhibition At The Open Eye Gallery
Open Eye Gallery present the first major presentation of Zanele Muholi’s work in the UK. Muholi is a South African photographer and visual activist whose work explores gender, race and sexuality, particularly in relation to South African society and political landscape. In 2009, Muholi wrote a thesis mapping the visual history of black lesbian identity and politics in post Apartheid South Africa as part of her MFA in Documentary Media from Ryerson University, Toronto. Since 2004…
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‘Follow’ Exhibition At FACT Featuring Work By Shia LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner And More; 10 December 2015 – 21 February 2016
In a world where we use Instagram ‘likes’ and Twitter ‘favs’ to assess who and what is important, and fame is just a click away; what impact is the internet really having on how we think about ourselves and those around us? On 10 December 2015, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool opens the doors to Follow, a major exhibition which will feature new work by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, Cécile B. Evans, Debora Delmar, Candice…
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Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots At Tate 30th June – 18th October
Jackson Pollock is widely considered to be one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the twentieth century. Pollock famously pioneered action painting, a process that saw him drip paint on canvases resting on the studio floor. Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots at Tate Liverpool is the first exhibition in more than 30 years to explore the artist’s black pourings, a lesser known but extremely influential part of his practice. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to…
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Tricia Porter: Liverpool Photographs 1972-74 The Bluecoat, Liverpool Saturday 4 April – Sunday 5 July, 2015
When young London photographer Tricia Porter arrived in seventies Toxteth she was warned off by the locals. Undeterred, Tricia gained unprecedented access to the residents’ homes resulting in this evocative portrayal of everyday life. The exhibition forms part of the LOOK/15 festival. Also showing under the Bluecoat’s historic roofs are Xavier Ribas’ Nitrate and Tabitha Jussa’sMemorandum of Understanding. Tricia Porter: Liverpool Photographs 1972-74 The Bluecoat, Liverpool Saturday 4 April – Sunday 5 July, 2015 Open…
Art exhibitions in Liverpool form a central part of the city’s thriving creative landscape, reflecting both its rich cultural history and its forward-looking artistic energy. Liverpool has long been recognised as a city of creativity and innovation, and its galleries, museums, and independent art spaces provide countless opportunities to experience work from local, national, and international artists. Whether you’re passionate about contemporary art, intrigued by historical collections, or looking to discover emerging talent, Liverpool’s art exhibitions offer something for everyone.
The city is home to some of the UK’s most renowned galleries. Tate Liverpool, located at the Royal Albert Dock, is one of the country’s leading contemporary art galleries, hosting major touring exhibitions and showcasing works from the Tate Collection. The Walker Art Gallery, often referred to as the “National Gallery of the North,” offers an impressive collection of Renaissance masterpieces, Victorian classics, and modern works, alongside regular temporary exhibitions that shine a spotlight on diverse artistic practices.
For those seeking a more contemporary and experimental edge, Bluecoat — Liverpool’s oldest contemporary arts centre — presents thought-provoking exhibitions alongside a vibrant programme of performance, literature, and community-focused projects. FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) is another must-visit, dedicated to exploring the intersection of art, film, and digital culture. Its exhibitions often push boundaries and highlight the ways technology and society influence creativity.
Beyond the larger institutions, Liverpool boasts a thriving independent arts scene. Galleries such as Open Eye Gallery, dedicated to photography and visual culture, and OUTPUT Gallery, which showcases work by artists from or based in Merseyside, provide vital platforms for fresh perspectives. Rathbone Studio and dot-art Gallery also play an important role in championing local talent and offering audiences the chance to engage directly with artists’ work.
Art exhibitions in Liverpool aren’t confined to traditional gallery spaces. The city’s creative energy spills into its streets and public spaces through murals, installations, and site-specific projects. Biennial festivals such as Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest festival of contemporary visual art, transform the city into an open gallery, bringing international attention and creating opportunities for residents and visitors to engage with art in unexpected ways.
Whether you’re planning a gallery day out, looking for inspiration from leading names in the art world, or wanting to support grassroots initiatives, Liverpool has an exhibition for you. From family-friendly shows to conceptual installations, the city’s art scene is inclusive, diverse, and ever-changing. Our coverage of art exhibitions in Liverpool brings together reviews, previews, and features to help you discover what’s on now and what’s coming up next.
If you’re passionate about visual arts or simply curious about new experiences, Liverpool is the perfect place to explore. The city’s exhibitions not only showcase incredible artistic talent but also reflect its character — open, experimental, and deeply connected to its community.