Kirkby Gallery: The Liverpool & Knowsley Book Art exhibition: Frankenstein 2018

Kirkby Gallery: The Liverpool & Knowsley Book Art exhibition: Frankenstein 2018

until 26^th January 2019

Liverpool Book Art is delighted to present Frankenstein 2018, in partnership with Liverpool Central Library and Kirkby Gallery, Knowsley. The theme of the exhibition marks 200 years since the first edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was published.

Frankenstein is a classic work for a variety of reasons. Not only is it arguably the very first work of science fiction, but it is also a core text of Gothic literature. Its themes of ambition and hubris, ethics and morality, responsibility for the consequence of one’s actions, free will and empathy have been important since the book was first published. They also appear hugely relevant today, whether considering genetic manipulation and synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, or Silicon Valley’s ‘disruptive technologies’. This is reflected in recent television series such as Humans.

Book artists from around the world have responded to Frankenstein with a hugely creative range of ideas. Some have been stimulated by the themes in the book; others have been inspired by the way the story is told; others have made links between Frankenstein and other classic stories such as Dracula and The Golem.

Some of the works have been made in small editions; some are unique works. Many of them are available to buy. New works will be on show in Kirkby Gallery by invited artists and by Knowsley residents in response to seeing the exhibition in Liverpool.