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Monday, February 17, 2025
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Static – Exit Review 06

Exit Review 06
Liverpool School of Art, 31st May – 8th June

Exit Review Debate: Thursday 22 June, 4pm-5.45pm at Static.

Exit Review 06 has now commissioned the full team of reviewers to cover the 47 fine art students graduating from Liverpool Art School. The team of reviewers are:

Lewis Biggs Liverpool Biennial
Fiona Boundy A Foundation
John Byrne Liverpool John Moores University School of Art and Design
Paul Domela Liverpool Biennial
Adrian Goerge Government Art Collection
Ceri Hand FACT
Sean Hawkridge The Royal Standard
Gill Henderson FACT
Patrick Henry Open Eye Gallery
Joe Riley Liverpool Echo
Becky Shaw Artist, London
Jo Spitzner Syracuse University, New York

The purpose of Exit Review is to use the process of critique to respond to the difficulties students encounter as they move from art school to life as artists. It is also a project that examines the intricacies of the critique and the vagaries of public and private space.

When Static first carried out Exit Review in 2003, there was a perceived crisis in the British art school education system, namely the inadequacy of conventional studio models of teaching which left students unprepared for contemporary practice. We may argue that this condition still exists today.

Exit Review is designed to initiate students into the publicly exposing process of a review, long before they have had time to build visibility in an art circuit.

Exit Review explores a number of issues. The project values unadorned and conflicting personal opinion, which may not always be fully objective. Whilst reflecting the vulnerability of the reviewed, the project also exposes the reviewers, who may risk their reputation, or, in this case, agonise with their conscience when dealing criticism to young/early career artists.

The large team of reviewers is to enable each artist to receive 2 reviews, so the opinions can be compared. The reviewers consist of local, national and international writers, curators, organisers and artists to enable contrasting opinions and comment from art professionals who write as part of their activities.

Each reviewer is assigned a list of students. They are required to write approximately 100 words, written swiftly so the emphasis is on informed opinion rather than perfect prose. Static will assemble all reviews into a small-scale publication and also as an online text on the 22nd June.

Following the review process, all reviewers, students and public are invited to attend a debate on Thursday 22 June, 4pm-5.45pm at Static, where the reviews will be made public (in static and online). The debate will be chaired by John Byrne (LJMU) and will cover the main issues raised by the project, in particular the condition of UK art education and the process of critique.

Previous Exit Reviews can be seen at http://www.static-ops.org under projects.

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