Painting tribute to Capital of Culture

Apr 1 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

A PAINTING to mark Capital of Culture year by Merseyside-based artists the Singh Twins went on display yesterday .

A host of famous Liverpool faces, from highbrow artists to footballers’ wives, can be seen in the intricate Arts Matters: The Pool of Life, now on show at the Bluecoat.

The painting is one of two Singh Twins works commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company to mark Liverpool’s 800th Birthday last year and the 2008 celebrations.

The first, Liverpool 800: The Changing Face of Liverpool, was unveiled in April last year by the Prince of Wales at the gala re-opening of St George’s Hall. Presented in the form of a coat of arms, the painting featured hundreds of interwoven references to events, people and places relating to the city’s 800 year history.

On the latest painting, Amrit Singh said: “Our main focus was on the community groups and arts organisations who have worked really hard to make Liverpool the cultural centre that it is today.

“We wanted to represent a cross section of what culture is all about, so there are famous figures in sport, comedy, and the visual arts. The whole composition is about representing Liverpool as a world stage.”

“It is an indication of how Liverpool talent extends beyond the city itself,” added Rabindra.

The work is the culmination of two years of interviews, research and painting by the twins, and its display marks a return to the Bluecoat for the artists, who were given their first solo exhibition there in 1994.

Amrit said: “We’ve always enjoyed the Bluecoat as visitors, it has always had a fantastic arts programme.

“They were the first venue to give us that break, and it is fantastic to have that ongoing relationship here.”

After completion of their two commissions the twins are as busy as ever.

Work is concluding on a short animated film intended for showing at US film festivals as well as Liverpool..

There will also be a full exhibition at St George’s Hall, Sikhs in Print, exploring the faith’s history in the city.

Fiona Gasper, executive producer of the 2008 programme, said the paintings had been commissioned to show “a snapshot slice across Liverpool’s cultural life”.

She said: “Everything is here, from Wags to Steven Gerrard, Cilla Black, and Pete Postlethwaite. We just wanted to commission a physical legacy that will be there in future to remind people of these two years.”

Bryan Biggs, artistic director of the Bluecoat, said: “We gave them their first exhibition in 1994 and they went on to great things internationally.

“As we approached our opening, we thought it would be nice to have the painting here and to invite them back.

“It’s got a huge appeal. It is a very engaging, very accessible work of art.”

vickyanderson