Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the Fallout Factory

The Fallout Factory, 97 Dale Street, L2 2JD
23rd August - 5th October 2013

By Colin Serjent - 19/8/2013

Visitors to the Fallout Factory art gallery will have the opportunity to see Liverpool City Council leader Joe Anderson as they have never seen him before - wearing pyjamas and slippers!

The life size sculpture of Anderson will form part of the 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph' exhibition, showcasing the work of Liverpool-born Steve Gibson, who has spent the last fifteen years based in the Spanish city, Zaragoza.

Fluent in Spanish, he teaches art to local children at a secondary school.

"My own creation of art - I specialise in sculpture and drawing - evolved from teaching in Zaragoza," said Gibson. "I like the feeling of anonymity you get in such a big city, which is mainly industrial-based. It gives me a sense of freedom."

Before moving there he had travelled to several countries after leaving Liverpool, including hitchhiking throughout Australia.

"I derive inspiration in my art from viewing people, both rich and poor," he added.

This will play a major factor in his mammoth project, extending over a ten-year period, in which he will create 300 life size drawings from photographic portraits of people, who reside in or pass through the San Pablo area of Zaragoza.

"I use randomly selected photographs passersby take of themselves with a camera in my studio window."

He believes it will be a priceless chronicle of the reality of a neighbourhood, the passage of time, and the social evolution of a territory seen through its inhabitants. The project, titled las Armas, will be regularly updated with the results being shown on www.lasarmas300.com

Six of the drawings will be on display at the Fallout Factory.

"None of the drawings are for sale," stated Gibson,"They will only be sold to a buyer as a whole package when completed."

The drawings are displayed for a period of six months before being stored.

The title 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph' is based on the oft quoted Liverpool Irish sayings that he often heard during his childhood in the city and was the starting point of the exhibition.

The three sculptures, all life sized, were created for the show at the Fallout Factory. As well as Anderson ('Joseph') - "There is no political statement intended. I wanted people to see him in a different context," commented Gibson - Jesus is represented as a reverential figure, and Mary as a young woman in hair rollers who proudly parades through Liverpool city centre.

"It casts my mind back to the 60s and 70s," remarked Gibson," when women, looking like Hilda Ogden from Coronation Street, were seen regularly in Liverpool with rollers covered by a headscarf."

He believes they are typical of the city's many idiosyncrasies.

In his sculptures Gibson has always been interested in the human form and the human condition. He creates them using cardboard treated with resins, a technique developed by him and one which is considered to be unique to Gibson. He places strips of cardboard one on top of the other to gradually create the figures. Later he treats the pieces with acrylic resin before painting.

"Although I live and work in Zaragoza, I still have a very strong relationship with Liverpool both physically and spiritually, "stated Gibson. "Everything I do I feel in some way or other comes out of the city."

His show in Liverpool will be the first time he will have staged an exhibition in the UK, having previously shown his work in Barcelona, Toronto, Milan, Madrid and Valencia.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph is at the Fallout Factory 23 August - 5 October 2013.
A private view will take place on Friday 23rd August 6pm - 8pm. It is based at 97 Dale Street, Liverpool L2 2JD.

falloutfactory.co.uk
www.stevegibson.eu

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