Category: General

We’re Recruiting: Join Our Board

A gradient background transitioning from orange to pink to blue with white text that reads: "We’re recruiting: Join our Board." At the bottom, the Homotopia logo appears with the tagline "Art Activism.

***Trustee Open Meeting***

Monday 17th February, 7pm on Zoom

An opportunity to meet with Co-Chairs Danny Kilbride and Sinéad Nunes to find out more about joining the Board at Homotopia. 

We are currently seeking Trustees with experience in Youth work; Legal, HR and people management; Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); Environmental sustainability; as well as for a Treasurer.

Email recruitment@homotopia.net to request the Zoom link. 

We’re looking for new members for the Homotopia Board

Can you help us reach new audiences and create a world where Queer art transforms lives, eliminates prejudice, and inspires brighter futures?

Join our Board to help us empower LGBTQIA+ voices!
 
To apply:
 
Please provide either –
• A written statement of no more than 1 page.
• A voice recording or video of no more than 3 minutes
 
that includes:
 
• Why you would like to be a Homotopia Trustee.
• Your lived experience, skills, work history and/or personal qualities that you
believe would make you a great trustee.
• The contact details for a referee.
Closing date: Monday 24 February 2025
Submit completed applications to recruitment@homotopia.net
Successful applicants will be invited to interview the week commencing
Monday 3rd March 2025.

Access and Further information:
 
If you require any further information about this recruitment process, need
additional information about the role, or need additional access support to make
an application, please get in touch. We are here to support you. If you would like to
have an informal chat about the role please contact Interim Director, Adrian Friedli,
via recruitment@homotopia.net.
 

We’re Recruiting: Join our Board as Treasurer

A colorful gradient background featuring the text "We're recruiting: Join our Board as Treasurer" in white, with the "Homotopia Art Activism" logo at the bottom.

Are you great with numbers? Do you have a passion for LGBTQIA+ Arts and Culture?
We’re looking for a skilled Treasurer to joining our board and help shape the future of Homotopia.
Can you help us create a world where Queer art transforms lives, eliminates prejudice, and inspires brighter futures?
To apply:

Please provide either:
• A written statement of no more than 1 page.
• A voice recording or video of no more than 3 minutes

that includes:

• Why you would like to be a Homotopia Trustee.
• Your lived experience, skills, work history and/or personal qualities that you
believe would make you a great trustee.
• The contact details for a referee.

Closing date: Monday 24 February 2025

Submit completed applications to recruitment@homotopia.net

Successful applicants will be invited to interview the week commencing
Monday 3rd March 2025.

Access and Further information:

If you require any further information about this recruitment process, need
additional information about the role, or need additional access support to make
an application, please get in touch. We are here to support you. If you would like to
have an informal chat about the role please contact Interim Director, Adrian Friedli,
via recruitment@homotopia.net.

For Your Pleasure: 15 Years Of DuoVision

A vibrant club scene featuring people dancing and socializing, celebrating 90s queer club culture in the UK. In the foreground, a person with short dark hair wearing sunglasses, a pink-and-red striped fuzzy sweater, and pink pants stands confidently. Others in the background are dressed in stylish and expressive attire, including a man in a suit and sunglasses. A disco ball glimmers faintly above, while the text reads: 'For Your Pleasure: Celebrating the fledgling queer club culture of the 90s in the UK. Exhibition launch: 30 January, 6pm - 8pm. Exhibition continues: 31 January - 09 March.' The overall atmosphere is lively and nostalgic.

For Your Pleasure: 15 Years of DuoVision is an exhibition using photography and film at the Open Eye Gallery, reflecting on and celebrating the fledgling queer club culture of the 90s in the UK, curated by guest curators DuoVision, and supported by Homotopia.

Adrian Friedli, Interim Director, Homotopia, said:

With this exhibition, DuoVision takes the celebration of North West music from the 80s into the 90s. Having partnered with the fantastic DuoVision on The Holly Johnson Story, currently on display at Museum of Liverpool until 27th July 2025, Homotopia is delighted to support our long-
term collaborators in this exciting and important project. An amazing show, and a significant event in marking the legacy of North West club and Queer culture.

Exhibition Launch | 30th Jan 6pm – 8pm

Be sure to come along to the exhibition launch, the tickets are free and everyone is welcome!

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/for-your-pleasure-exhibition-launch-tickets-1203544878129

Young Homotopia Callout!

Promotional poster for Young Homotopia, featuring a pink-purple overlay and a group of young performers in expressive poses on stage. The text reads: 'Young Homotopia: Calling All LGBTQIA+ Performers aged 16-25 in Liverpool! Join Young Homotopia for an incredible programme of creativity and collaboration starting 17th February 2025. We’re looking for dancers, singers, and actors of all abilities and experiences to help create a cabaret-style performance inspired by the iconic Holly Johnson and his extraordinary exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool. Your journey will culminate in a performance at Homotopia’s Takeover Day at the Museum on 5th April. Bring your talent and energy—we can’t wait to see you there!

Calling All LGBTQIA+ Performers aged 16-25 in Liverpool!

Join Young Homotopia for an incredible programme of creativity and collaboration starting 17th February 2025.
We’re looking for dancers, singers, and actors of all abilities and experiences to help create a cabaret-style performance inspired by the iconic Holly Johnson and his extraordinary exhibition at Liverpool Museum.
Rehearsals will take place the week of 17th February (Monday-Friday) + additional rehearsals on select Saturdays throughout March.
Your journey will culminate in a performance at Homotopia’s Takeover Day Museum Of Liverpool on 5th April.
Deadline For Applications: Feb 14th at 10am.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to Ashleigh, our course leader: ashleigh@homotopia.net

Homotopia 20

A colourful display of material from the archives of ‘Homotopia’, Liverpool’s unique and trailblazing LGBT+ arts and culture festival, is at Liverpool Central Library. Featuring programmes, articles and interviews, the exhibition celebrates some of the artists and authors who have appeared in Liverpool.

Established in 2003 with its first festival in 2004, Homotopia has attracted an audience of more than 125,000 people, and a global audience of over 175,000 for its web-based TV programme.

See it at Liverpool Central Library from Monday 21st October 2024 -until Saturday 31st January 2025

A photographic portrait of Holly Johnson wearing a leather jacket, revealing a graphic tee with the word 'love' on it.

Holly Johnson In Conversation

As part of Homotopia’s Autumn Programme, join us as we hear the story of Holly Johnson from the artist himself.

To celebrate the recent opening of The Holly Johnson Story exhibition, curated by DuoVision Arts and produced in partnership with Homotopia and National Museums Liverpool, book your tickets for an intimate event where none other than Holly himself will be in conversation with journalist, Paul Flynn.

The exhibition celebrates Holly’s creative genius, charting his personal life and extraordinary music career over five decades. This event will see Holly speak openly about his music and his life in the public eye.

Holly Johnson will be joined by Paul to talk about his music career of over 40 years, his rise to meteoric fame following the release of Welcome to the Pleasuredome, and life in the public eye.

Paul Flynn is a prolific London-based writer and pop cultural commentator who writes for i-D, Attitude, Fantastic Man, the Sunday Times, GQ Style and Grazia.

Paul’s book Good As You: From Prejudice to Pride – 30 years of Gay Britain, published in 2017, is essential reading for self-respecting homosexuals and pop culture fans alike.

This event is suitable for people aged 16+.

The event will take place at Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, in the ground floor Global City Theatre on Saturday 30 November. It will start promptly at 2pm and run until 3pm.

Tickets are £24pp and includes entry to The Holly Johnson Story exhibition (entry following the In Conversation 3pm – 4pm).

A BSL interpreter will be present for the duration of the in conversation.

Tickets are limited due to capacity so buy now to avoid disappointment!

Book your tickets now

New Interim Director at Homotopia

We’re delighted to welcome Adrian Friedli as Interim Executive Director at Homotopia. 

Adrian comes to Homotopia with a wealth of experience in the arts sector, as an accomplished arts worker and Director. You can read all about him here

Adrian says

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with the dynamic Board and team at Homotopia, to support the next chapter in its development as a queer arts and social justice organisation, exploring what the future of LGBTQIA+ art and activism can be.”

Homotopia is also delighted to announce we have become a charity. This change in status helps us to focus on developing the organisation further. 

It’s going to be a busy Autumn as, although we have no Homotopia Festival this year, we co-produced The Holly Johnson Story with Museum of Liverpool and DuoVision and will announce a series of events as part of that this Autumn and Spring. We will also have Young Homotopia and Queercore programme news very soon. 

We know many of our friends and family in the arts community and the LGBT+ community in Liverpool want to know more about Homotopia. 

Adrian is here as Interim Dirctor to guide us into the next chapter. We remain an Arts Council England National Portfolio Ogrnaisation (NPO). The decision to pause the Homotopia Festival in 2024, allows for the time and space to focus on strengthening the organisation’s foundations and building for the future. 

Topher Campbell joined the organisation in 2024 as Director/CEO. After five months with Homotopia, Topher made the decision to focus on his own artistic projects at Tate Modern and Somerset House, as well as his family commitments in London. 

We are really excited about what the next twelve months will bring and how it will strenghten this festival for the future.

Meet the Curators – DuoVision

Martin Green and James Lawler are DuoVision, co-curators of The Holly Johnson Story, in partnership with National Museums Liverpool and Homotopia.

The Holly Johnson Story opens on 14 September 2024 running until Sunday 27 July 2025. Book your tickets here

DuoVision has worked extensively with the LGBTQIA+ creative community since 2012, curating exhibitions by undervalued artists, photographers and designers, aimed at engaging with a wider audience. 

The Gallery Liverpool on Stanhope Street

Until 2020, they curated exhibitions at The Gallery, Liverpool, featuring artists including Duggie Fields, Caroline Coon, Pam Hogg, Peter Ashworth, Jarvis Cocker, Marc Almond and more. Since then, DuoVision have curated exhibitions at; Cartier, Paris; Potteries Museum, Stoke on Trent; Gallery46, Whitechapel, London; Fitzrovia Chapel, London; Tramps, London; TCFE, Soho, London. 

“There are many artists who haven’t had the recognition they deserve”, says Martin, “and central to our work has been the ethos of casting a light on both the quality of the work they have produced, as well as making the artworld see them in a different light”. 

This began with Duggie Fields, the late British artist, who Duovision exhibited in the Gallery in 2012 with the show Welcome To My World

“Duggie’s work was evocative of a certain era and culture of British art and identity that blended pop culture references, music, queer identity, post punk, flamboyance and dazzling colour. He was chronically overlooked by the art world so this exhibition was a stamp, a mark in the ground to say ‘you have to recognise how important this artist is”. 

Welcome to My World featured paintings, prints, objects and sculpture from Duggie’s archive and work that had featured in solo shows in London, Tokyo and New York. 

Duggie Fields (left) and sculptor Andrew Logan at the opening of Welcome to My World

Through Duggie, DuoVision met Caroline Coon, an iconic figure of the counterculture, known as a photographer and campaigner, but whose visual art was not well known. 

“In 2018 we held the first solo show by Caroline Coon at The Gallery, The Great Offender. It was Caroline’s introduction to the artworld as this fully formed, astonishingly talented and yet overlooked artistic figure”. 

That exhibition catapulted Coon into the artworld, positioning her a vital figure within the narrative of female art. 

“Too often in the artworld, people are put into a certain box early in their career and they stay there. If we do truly want to be both diverse and inclusive, we have to give people the freedom and ability to evolve through their life and artistic journey. The artist you begin your career as when you are young isn’t the same one you will be as you age. Giving the ability to document and exhibit that journey is a huge part of fully embedding the artist experience within culture”. 

In 2018 other exhibitions featured the British fashion designer Pam Hogg and photographer Peter Ashworth. 

DuoVision with Jarvis Cocker. From left, james lawler, Jarvis Cocker, Martin Green

The Holly Johnson Story is an exhibition part of this tradition about seeing creatives in a different light from the one they have been perceived. 

“My personal journey began with Holly in 1982” says James, “when I saw him perform with the unsigned Frankie Goes to Hollywood art 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”

“We approached Holly about doing this exhibition. Then we talked to Homotopia about securing Heritage Lottery funding and they, with other partners, helped us to work on the application, which was successful. Then we partnered with National Museums Liverpool for an exhibition space”. 

The Holly Johnson Story is open until Sunday 27 July 2025. 

Book your tickets here

Read about the exhibition here

Follow DuoVision here

The Holly Johnson Story

A major new exhibition exploring the life and art of Holly Johnson and the heritage of LGBTQIA+ communities in Liverpool. Opening Saturday 14 September 2024 running until Sunday 27 July 2025.

 

Book your exhibition tickets 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 Festival in 2024

This September, The Holly Johnson Story opens at the Museum of Liverpool, produced by Homotopia in partnership with National Museums Liverpool and curators DuoVision.We can’t wait for you to see it and enjoy our wraparound programme of events.

After 20 years of Homotopia, we’ve decided to take a short break from our annual festival for 2024 . Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere! We’re working away on the Holly Johnson exhibition, programme, partnerships, and gearing up to bring you something extra special for 2025.

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!