Baltic Creative set to present large-scale installation by Biennial 2023 artist Rudy Loewe

Baltic Creative CIC, the developer and innovator behind a thriving creative and digital community in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, is set to welcome a striking installation confronting Britain’s colonial legacy to the McKeown Rice Exhibition Space this month.

‘The Reckoning’ (2023), a large-scale installation by Rudy Loewe, was commissioned for this year’s Liverpool Biennial with support from Liverpool ONE. It will arrive at the plinth later this week.

The artwork vividly portrays Moko Jumbie (a stilt walker) and other Carnival mas players coming to the aid of the people during a moment of Black Power revolution in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally exhibited at the site of the Old Dock on Thomas Steers Way, re-siting ‘The Reckoning’ on the corner of Jamaica Street and Jordan Street enables a direct conversation between the artwork, Liverpool’s prominent role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Britain’s colonisation of islands in the Caribbean. The work also engages with the Sailors’ Home Gateway, located on Paradise Street, a freestanding monument to the since demolished Liverpool Sailors’ Home.

The McKeown Rice Exhibition Space launched in 2014 in memory of Claire McKeown and Paul Rice, founding members of Baltic Creative, and is curated by Castle Fine Arts Foundry. The plinth has played host to many sculptures and installations from both new and established artists over the past nine years, enlivening the local area and cementing its reputation as a creative hub.

Speaking about the installation, artist Rudy Loewe, said:

“Liverpool is an important city for ‘The Reckoning’ to be situated in because this work confronts Britain’s colonial legacy. It has been acknowledged that as a primary slave port, Liverpool has gained significantly from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. ‘The Reckoning’ is both a reminder of this, and the fact that Britain’s colonial relationships to the Caribbean did not end with independence. These dynamics of power continue into our present day, and the reckoning for this is yet to come.”

Lynn Haime, CEO at Baltic Creative CIC, also commented:

“At its very core, Baltic Creative, and the wider area, is a community for creators in their many forms, from artists and makers to architects and marketers. It’s so important to us that we elevate and promote artistry and creativity at every avenue. The curation of the McKeown Rice Space enables us to do just that. It’s a privilege to welcome Rudy Loewe’s ‘The Reckoning’ to the Baltic Triangle, and we very much look forward to showcasing other talented artists through the ongoing curation of this space in the coming months and years.”

Established in 2009, Baltic Creative offers a unique development model, investing in diverse spaces to build a thriving creative and digital ecosystem in Liverpool’s formerly derelict Baltic Triangle area. The McKeown Rice Exhibition Space will feature a new piece of public artwork, on rotation, every 6-12 months, placing artistry front and centre in the city’s burgeoning creative neighbourhood.

Find more information about the Baltic Creative exhibition here.

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