Keith Haring at Tate Liverpool

This month I took a trip to Liverpool with my university. The American artist Keith Haring has an exhibition at the Tate Museum which showcases a large variety of his work from throughout the years. He is known for his vibrant artworks with his simplistic but signature characters and for his involvement with political and AIDS activism through his art.

My favourite part of the exhibition was a black light room they set up with big heavy curtains as the entrance. As you walked into the room, you could see a dark floor and ceiling and three long walls painted in yellow and red stripes. Big canvases of his work were hung up on the walls, with art that had been painted in yellow, green, red and more ultraviolet colours which glowed brightly as they reacted to the black light. I would be incredibly excited to have an opportunity to create something in a similar vein to this, as bright, luminous colours are something I deeply love.

I love his use of bold colours and incredibly thick lines within his work. Although it may not encourage me to try out his style of work, as it is instantly recognisable as Keith Haring artwork, I am inspired to maybe try bigger pieces with bolder colours and more abstract elements to them. I'm also inspired by his activism of AIDS and other political views within his artworks. It makes me realise I shouldn't be afraid to use art as a way to express my views.

Generally, I thought Liverpool was quite nice. Although the city is different, it felt a lot like Newcastle but a bit bigger and a little bit more expensive, though I believe that might have just been because of the area we were in for the day. I would love to have another trip down there and check out more of the city.