Kirkby Gallery hosts renowned printmaker and reportage artist, Julia Midgley in a solo exhibition which is on now, until 17 August. Drawing a Record showcases artworks that focus on Julia’s projects in Knowsley and the Liverpool City Region.
Over decades of practice, Julia’s drawings have recorded society at large, illustrating her observations on location. By acting as a fly on the wall, events are recorded as they take place in Julia’s sketchbooks, as she does not use a camera, preferring to draw live action directly onto paper.
Julia’s commissions have been very diverse and included drawing a kidney transplant from mother to son; witnessing the excavation of skeletons at Stonehenge and drawn military surgeons on board a EH101 Merlin Helicopter.
Organisations including Knowsley Council, The Royal College of Surgeons of England; Liverpool John Moores University; The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Granada Television have commissioned Julia to act as their Artist in Residence.
After teaching in various art schools, Julia began working at Liverpool School of Art & Design at Liverpool John Moores University as Reader in Documentary Drawing. During that time, she and her students made drawings of Liverpool’s cultural and community life.
For the 2002 Biennial Julia made drawings of life in and around Huyton Village and in 2021, Julia returned to Knowsley as part of the project, Art in the Park; a collaborative, lockdown project between Knowsley’s Culture Service and Knowsley Safari and again in 2022, as part of the Knowsley Borough of Culture project, Kirkbyography.
There will be a Private View at Kirkby Gallery on Thursday 11 April from 5.30pm – 7.30pm. Please note that this is a RSVP event only so please contact the galleries team on 0151 443 4936 or galleries@knowsley.gov.uk should you wish to attend.
Kirkby Gallery is located at the Kirkby Centre, Norwich Way, Kirkby Opening hours are Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) and Saturday 10am – 1pm (last entry 12.30pm)
