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
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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.
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‘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.
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