Today I went to see the Warhol show at Tate Liverpool. I have watched a documentary on Warhol before so the show was pretty much what I had expected but it was enjoyable to see so many of his works on display in the one place. Of most interest, in that it was not an over used image was the surround sound, full 4 wall video piece, complete with disco lights where the viewer actually became part of the work as you stood inside the large space. Great to immerse yourself within the world of Warhol and the era as the music bounced around the space and you watched various images move around including more than a few suggestive queer imagery that even how is perceived by the viewer to be voyeuristic and close to the bone.
I also find Warhol personally interesting for his use of commodity and fame, consumerism and popular culture as his themes. There is a parallel in this with the magazines I have been looking at as part of last year. Every artist is at their best when they comment on the times they actually live in and what they are exposed to, and their viewers around them. The artist as commodity and the consumed? Not much else going on at the Tate at the moment as the other levels I have seen before. Sadly, just a postcard of a Christopher Wool work and not the real thing. I would have enjoyed seeing that now.
We then went up to the Walker where there is a small display by the photographer Catherine Opie which I thought were deeply thoughtful and sensitively done. The large exhibition space at the rear of the Walker was closed at present so again, not much new to see but always good to revisit earlier friends and appreciate them with new eyes as my knowledge and experience develop.
