Artist

Pete Clarke moved to Liverpool in 1978 after studying at Chelsea School of Art, West of England College of Art [Bristol Polytechnic], Burnley Municipal College and living for a time on the Isle of Wight and then London. The changing landscape and the city have fascinated him and in many ways it represents the social and cultural history that personifies the shifts and developments of ‘modernity’ and contemporary art.

He was Principal Lecturer in Fine Art and MA Course Leader at University of Central Lancashire, Preston until 2014 and now he is working as an artist at the Bluecoat Studios, Liverpool.
He leads the artists’ initiative ‘Eight Days A Week’, arranging reciprocal exhibitions, projects and events in Liverpool and Cologne. He makes paintings, prints and installations with the artist Georg Gartz from Cologne exploring collaborative strategies within contemporary practice questioning individuality, authorship and authenticity in a European context.

‘MISTAKES AND METAPHORS’

IIn 2009 Matthew Clough, Director of Art and Heritage Collections at the University of Liverpool curated the Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings, Prints and Drawings, ‘Looking Back: Facing Forward: Mistakes and Metaphors’, at the refurbished Victoria Gallery and Museum, Liverpool. The exhibition produced an illustrated and annotated catalogue of retrospective work by Pete Clarke featuring critical contextual essays by Matthew Clough and Bryan Biggs, Artistic Director at the Bluecoat and a transcript of the conversation with the French Art Historian Gabriel Gee and the artist.
The exhibition was also a platform for contextual discussion and lectures in relation to the new book featuring Pete Clarke’s work ‘Art in a City Revisited’ [edited by Bryan Biggs and Julie Sheldon and published by the Bluecoat and Liverpool University Press] which looks at Liverpool 40 years on from John Willett’s seminal study ‘Art in a City’.

PRINTMAKING PROJECTS

The landscape for Contemporary Printmaking continually changes; global communication has enabled much greater international collaboration for a wider community of Printmakers. Printmaking, both in its message and its means of production, remains a democratic and collaborative process and now play a more pivotal role in mainstream contemporary art.

Impressit [Latin: for ‘has printed’, Harris Museum & Art Gallery Exhibition, Preston 2013

www.harrismuseum.org.uk/

Curated by Pete Clarke / Tracy Hill/ Magda Stawarska Beavan, University of Central Lancashire, Preston

Printmaking at UCLan in recent years has developed a significant reputation for collaborative and cultural exchange projects, notable examples are ‘Talking Prints’,& ‘Artlab Contemporary Printmaking Studios’, ‘Eight Days A Week: the Liverpool and Cologne artists’ initiative’ and ‘Triple and Global Echo’. UCLan has built on these creative initiatives by facilitating opportunities for artists to experience inter collegiate dialogue, residency programmes, creative collaborations and exchanges and professional exhibition opportunities.

‘GLOBAL ECHO’, ‘International Artists in Print’ 2011/12.

Global as a concept is not necessarily about nationality, geography or place but more a question of attitude, a political commitment, a strategy and ambition to explore significant social and cultural questions through creative practice, dialogue and forms of communication.

Artists from the following institutions:
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Wirral Metropolitan College, Merseyside, Liverpool John Moores’ University, Sheffield Hallam University, Brigham Young University, Utah, USA,
Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan, Parsons School of Design / the University of New York, USA.

The Project’s intention was to give artists opportunities to develop high quality work and to showcase and exhibit their work internationally. ‘Global Echo’ created opportunities and new experiences by utilizing new and traditional technologies in Printmaking to demonstrate professionalism in the production and presentation of creative work.

‘GLOBAL STUDIO’, The Bluecoat, Liverpool 2010   www.thebluecoat.org.uk

Aspects of contemporary printmaking, graphic processes of communication
Pete Clarke curated the work of Roohi Ahmed, Wuon-Gean Ho, Georg Gartz and Carl Rowe, artists from various international networks - IMPACT 6 Printmaking, Bristol, UK 2009, Coast- the Liverpool International Artists Workshop 2007 and the on-going ‘Eight Days A Week’ artists from Liverpool and Cologne for this Printmaking Project as part of ‘Global studio.

‘TRIPLE ECHO - ARTISTS IN PRINT’ 2009

A collaborative printmaking initiative between University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Liverpool JMU, and Wirral Metropolitan College, Birkenhead.