The Art of Pop Video, an exhibition that celebrates the music video as an artistic medium from its earliest origins to its current manifestations, is now showing at FACT, the gallery and arts centre in Liverpool.
Billed as the first exhibition of its kind in the UK, The Art of Pop Video opened on March 14th, and celebrates classic examples of the music video, and also investigates how it has been influenced by and also informed visual art and film in general.
Artists featured include Björk, Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, Madonna, Daft Punk, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, OK Go and Radiohead, and featured directors include Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Dudley Murphy, Anton Corbijn, Uwe Flade, Julien Temple, Wim Wenders and Chris Cunningham.
The show also looks as far back as the 1920s to the earliest origins of the music video. The oldest film in the exhibition is Man Ray’s experimental film Emak Bakia from 1926, and there’s also a nod to the influence of the Hollywood musical, via Fred Astaire’s timeless choreography in Top Hat from 1935.
First exhibited at the MAKK Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Cologne, The Art of Pop Video showcases the work of major visual artists whose work has been heavily influenced by the pop video. Artists featured include Andy Warhol, Pipilotti Rist, Wolfgang Tillmans, Carsten Nicolai and Christian Jankowski. And there’s a Liverpool flavour to the exhibition too, with videos for ‘local heroes’ including The Beatles, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, OMD and Ladytron – and a new video is being made for local band Outfit via a competition organised by FACT and Liverpool Sound City.
FACT director Mike Stubbs said: “The Art of Pop Video is an exhibition that really will have something for everyone to enjoy. As well as plenty of classic videos we know and love, visitors are bound to discover some long-lost gems and be able to explore how this fascinating art form has evolved, from the 1920s to the present day.”
The Art of Pop Video show runs to May 26th 2013 and admission to the exhibition is free.
