Open Eye Gallery


Open Eye Gallery is a photography gallery and archive in Liverpool, UK that was established in 1977. It is housed in a purpose-built building on the waterfront at Mann Island, its fourth location.
Open Eye Gallery comprises an exhibition space on one floor and an archive space on another, and has large-scale graphic art installations on its external facade. It is the only gallery dedicated to photography and related media in North West England. It is a non-profit organisation and a registered charity.

History

Open Eye Gallery first opened in Whitechapel, Liverpool ; then Bold Street ; then Wood Street ; and finally Mann Island. Its current building was purpose-built.
Lorenzo Fusi was appointed its artistic director in 2013. Sarah Fisher replaced him as executive director in 2015.

Notable photographers and exhibitions shown

Open Eye Gallery has a "considerable archive" of predominantly portraiture and documentary photography. "Formed in 1980, the Open Eye Archive is made up of the work of more than 100 photographers and comprises around 1600 prints."
Significant bodies of work are held by Bert Hardy and Is There a British Colour Bar? ), Edith Tudor-Hart, Tom Wood, Chris Steele-Perkins, Michelle Sank, and John McDonald.
Work is also held by John Davies, Gabriele Basilico, Vanley Burke, Bruce Gilden, E. Chambré Hardman, Peter Kennard, Mari Mahr, Peter Marlow, Joel Meyerowitz, Simon Norfolk, Martin Parr, Ewen Spencer, Ed van der Elsken, John Edwards), Ian Beesley, Steve Conlan, Philippe Conti, Will Curwen, Paul Fazackerley, Steve Hale, Sean Halligan, Thurston Hopkins, Greg Leach, Peter Hagerty, Harry Hammond, Derek Massey, Neil McDowall, Rob Meighen, Paul O’Donnell, Caroline Penn, Michael Robinson, Ludwig Schirmer, Samantha Seneviratne, Patrick Shanahan, John Stoddart, Wolfgang Suschitsky, Jan Svenungsson, Ali Taptik, Sandy Volz, Wojtek Wilczyk, Rob Williams, and David Reid.

Publication