at The Royal Standard
Opening night: Thursday 4 April, 5 – 7.30pm
With Queensway DJ’s: Dan Chan & Bron
Exhibition continues: Friday 5 – Sunday 7 April, 10am – 4pm
Come along to see the work of 6 upcoming artists who have just completed our Creative Skills Programme. More info here.
Homotopia is delighted to share more details about this major new exhibition and project in partnership with Museum of Liverpool and DuoVision.
Opening at Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 14 September 2024, The Holly Johnson Story explores the incredible life of Holly Johnson and his meteoric rise to fame. The Holly Johnson Story celebrates Holly’s creative genius, and marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Frankie Goes to Hollywood album, ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’, featuring songs ‘Relax’, ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘The Power of Love’.
Supported by a £142,338 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Museums Liverpool has partnered with local arts organisations Homotopia and DuoVision in collaboration with Holly Johnson to deliver this landmark exhibition that will take visitors on a journey through Holly’s outstanding career, from his early years in Liverpool to international stardom.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the exhibition is part of a project that has documented LGBTQIA+ heritage by working with sexual health and wellness charity Sahir, to explore Holly’s archive and capture the stories of local LGBTQIA+ people in community workshops and oral history sessions.
Featured in the exhibition are unique items from Holly Johnson’s career, including iconic costumes by Leigh Bowery and Vivienne Westwood, Frankie Goes to Hollywood memorabilia, personal audio accounts of people living with HIV in Liverpool, produced in collaboration with Sahir House, and paintings by Holly himself.
Social and political unrest in a changing 1980s Britain led the way for a cultural revolution, set against a backdrop of synth-pop music and experimental sounds. The era was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson.
The Holly Johnson Story charts Holly’s early personal life and career, from a young musician to an internationally renowned, openly gay star, living in the public eye. Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV+ diagnosis and the unwanted negative press, whilst going it alone as a monumental LGBTQIA+ icon.
Through polarising emotions of glamour and sexual liberation, alongside fear, loss, and stigma, The Holly Johnson Story tells the stories of people who experienced the gay scene in the 1980s, and the devastating impact and legacy of HIV.
Holly Johnson said: “The opportunity to mount this exhibition is actually like winning the National Lottery for me. As a teenager Music and Art were my passion, reading Jean Genet, William Burroughs and listening to the music of The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Velvet Underground: seeing the films of Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol along with his supercharged colour paintings. Pondering over Peter Blake’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork as a child led me ultimately to Hollywood and back again. Everything I was ever drawn to, through a lens of Queerness and controversy I brought with me into the future we live in now.” @mrhollyjohnson
Sinéad Nunes, Board of Trustees at Homotopia:
“For over 20 years, Homotopia’s platforming, commissioning and celebration of the very best in Queer arts has been grounded in social and political justice. We could not be more excited to be bringing Holly’s story to new audiences in this incredible retrospective. Holly’s artistic and cultural impact, alongside his unapologetically punk activism and HIV/AIDS advocacy, cement him as one of Liverpool’s foremost LGBTQIA+ icons.
This is also an opportunity to platform the next generation of homegrown, Queer talent, with a soon-to-be-announced wraparound programme of music, performance and talks, showcasing fresh local voices.”
James Lawler, Curator at DuoVision:
“We’re so excited to focus on the life and work of trailblazing artist Holly Johnson. My personal journey with Holly began in 1982 when I saw him perform with the then unsigned Frankie Goes To Hollywood at my art college. His openness about his sexuality was affirming and influential during a time of rampant homophobia. In the 80s, Holly was one of the musicians whose unapologetic approach to their own sexuality helped shift mainstream understanding and acceptance.” @Duovision_arts
Helen Feathertsone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund:
“It’s fantastic to see this transformative project conclude with this landmark exhibition. This work has recorded and preserved the important stories of LGBTQIA+ people and the significant influence Holly Johnson has had on our cultural and musical heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re proud to have supported this project that will ensure the voices and memories of the community will be heard for generations to come.” @heritagefunduk
The Holly Johnson Story opens at the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 14 September 2024 running until Sunday 27 July 2025.
For more information and to book your tickets, visit here
Homotopia is an Arts Council England NPO organisation with funding in place until 2026. Our artist development programmes will also continue this year, with plans developing for Young Homotopia, Queercore and Queer the City. Our commitment to supporting and developing new and existing talent isn’t changing. New opportunities to be part of these programmes will be announced soon.
Homotopia Festival is the UK’s longest-running celebration of Queer art. We are incredibly proud of our amazing festival that runs alongside our work across the year covering artist development, city-wide exhibitions and even one hell of a cabaret for Eurovision 2023. We exist in a climate where artists are under increasing pressure, and where that climate feels increasingly hostile to Queer folks, globally and locally. We understand how important our support and platforming of art and activism is, and we want to do it in the best, most sustainable way.
Homotopia is a small team, and in order to allow space for this refocus, and to deliver The Holly Johnson Story, alongside its wrap-around events and our committed artist development programmes, we decided to take this short break from the full scale festival. We have been working closely with our funders and stakeholders on this decision in order to prioritise the wellbeing of our team and ensure we can continue to deliver the best work we can; to futureproof Homotopia so that we are here for the next 20 years.
The Holly Johnson Story’s supporting programme will include visual arts, music, talks and of course a party or two! We hope that events around this exhibition will spark creativity and vital conversations, with programmes exploring Queer identity in Liverpool and supporting education around World Aids Day.
We’re still here, doing what we do best, which is to support and platform local, national, and international LGBTQIA socially engaged artists and creatives. We’re looking forward to another amazing year ahead, which includes the upcoming exhibition showcasing the life, legacy and art of Holly Johnson.
Homotopia Festival will be back in 2025: bigger, bolder and of course, Queerer than ever!