Big Chat Series: Refractive Pool

In this month’s Big Chat Series, the focus will be on creativity during the Covid lockdown. It’s focuses on local artists and the current Refractive Pool exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery. You’ll get to meet some of the artists who’s currently exhibiting artwork in the Refractive Pool exhibition.

The panel will discuss their artistic practice during lockdown and see if lockdown had affected their artistic practice. Some of the questions for discussion will include the artist’s response to lockdown, their artistic practice before, during and after covid, their future plans and what can big organisations such as NML do to support local artists?

The 3 artists on the panel for this event are: Sufea Mohamad Noor, Sumuyya Khader and Gary Sollars. Sufea Mohamad Noor (b.1993) is an artist, curator and fundraiser based in Liverpool. Her primary interests are useful art and postcolonial discourse. Her current work explores typography and embodiment through the practice of making artist books, hosting communal meals and creating textiles installations. Her source of inspiration ranges from feminist text art to kitsch slogans such as ‘Live, Love, Laugh’ and graffiti tags in urban cities. Her work also draws upon an understanding of materials. She graduated from the University of Leeds with an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies (2019). Her most recent work was the Stop Asian Hate fly posters in Liverpool, created as part of her residency with Metal and Liverpool Independents Biennial (2021), and has since been acquired by National Museums Liverpool. Her previous commissions include PAGES New Voices at The Tetley, Leeds (2019) and The Good Society Sunday Lunch at The Bluecoat, Liverpool (2017). She was also awarded the UKYA and Porthmeor Studio Residency in St Ives (2018), UKYA Cultural Leadership Coaching (2018) and Helen’s Gossip Professional Development Bursary from Heart of Glass, St Helens (2018).

Sumuyya Khader (b. 1988, Liverpool) is an artist working in a multiplicity of ways within the sector. Working with major institutions, projects, publishers, social enterprises and artist-led groups. Her practice is a combination of illustration, painting & print works that predominantly explore place and identity. She has recently set up Granby Press, a community-based organisation with a focus on printed material and design and runs an online print shop selling works.

Gary Sollars, sometimes Gary Dollman Sollars is an artist living in Liverpool from 2001, moved from Brighton after showing in Tracey, the first Liverpool Independent Biennial, curated by Jonathan Swain. Has exhibited in the BP Portrait awards three times, the John Moores painting prize, most Liverpool Biennials, the National Open, Winner of the Sussex Open, The Whitworth Gallery, Berlin Kunstsalon, Salford Museum and others. Have shown alongside works by Bill Drummond, Gavin Turk, The Chapman brothers, Maggi Hambling, Warhol, Sadie Lee and others. Hosts events called Dollmandisco, a fun evening of games and dancing and toast. Dollman is host.

This event takes place in room 3 at the Walker Art Gallery.