As a volunteer at Open Eye Gallery I get to see loads of different forms of photography and contemporary art. A lot of the people working there also have their own works from painting to zines to poems located within the gallery shop. I think it’s such a great place to learn about local work of contemporary art. A part of my volunteering role is getting to speak to visitors, workers and also people who put the exhibition together and learn all the different views and opinions on how they perceive the current exhibition. Open Eye Gallery is art that speaks to the here and now, addressing the complexities of modern life, exploring themes like identity, technology, and the environment. It challenges norms, pushes boundaries, and invites us to see the world in new and sometimes uncomfortable ways.

The Open Eye Gallery was established in 1977 and was one of the UK’s first dedicated photography galleries. It is located on the Liverpool Waterfront the Gallery is near RIBA North, the Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool and the Albert Dock.

Current Exhibition: The gallery is currently featuring No Iconic Images. Views of War, in partnership with The Guardian and Magnum Photos. The exhibition highlights ground breaking work by emerging Magnum photographers Peter van Agtmael and Newsha Tavakolian, offering their raw perspectives on the wars they experienced first-hand in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. 

“The exhibition No Iconic Images. Views of War explores contemporary depictions of conflict. As the world burns and images circulate faster than ever, it examines recent wars and how they are portrayed and reflected upon through photography”. – Max Gorbatskyi and Viktoria Bavykina, exhibition curators.

Magnum Photos has established itself as a leading group of photographers who have created iconic images covering the conflicts of the 21st century. However, warfare, media and photography itself have changed significantly in the last decades. In this exhibition, the new generation of Magnum photographers, Peter van Agtmael and Newsha Tavakolian, offer their perspectives on the wars they witnessed and experienced in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Their projects will be shown in Gallery 2.

We visited Open Eye Gallery a few times this year, mostly after Tate visits or other outdoor lectures. I think the gallery has such a great use of space with the different rooms and upstairs to show different elements to the same exhibition. 

In conclusions, Open Eye Gallery has shown me the idea that understanding contemporary art is more than studying past works. It’s about experiencing every piece of work and exhibition with what it brings to the table and how thought provoking it can be. It’s also very important in spaces like this to learn from the people around you and how they also perceive the work, as mentioned above volunteering has reshaped my perspective on how we view art of the past and present and how art can be a community of growth by asking questions. I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the collaborative ecosystem that sustains contemporary art. It’s not just the creatives creating work, but also the organisations like Open Eye trying to promote the artists expression and the audiences engaging with their stories.

Words: 542

Bibliography

Open Eye Gallery, 2025. no-iconic-images/. [Online] 
Available at: https://openeye.org.uk/whatson/no-iconic-images/
[Accessed april 2025].