Frankie Goes To Hollywood star Holly Johnson feels like he has “won the National Lottery” after a recent announcement.
The Wavertree-born artist was pleased to learn a new exhibition based on his life will be coming to his home city. The project will explore the work of the pioneering LGBTQ+ musician and feature the songwriter and artist’s personal archive.
Liverpool arts organisations Homotopia and DuoVision announced a grant of £142,000 was provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for The Power of Holly exhibition. National Museums Liverpool will support the research and development of the landmark presentation.
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The 63-year-old: said: “The opportunity to mount this exhibition is actually like winning the National Lottery for me. As a teenager, music and art were my passion. Reading Jean Genet, and William Burroughs and listening to the music of The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Velvet Underground, seeing the films of Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol along with his super-charged colour paintings.
“Pondering over Peter Blake’s Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork as a child led me ultimately to Hollywood and back again. Everything I was ever drawn to, through the lens of queerness and controversy, I have brought with me into the future we live in now.”
The showcase will work with Merseyside-based charity Sahir House to capture the stories of local queer people in community workshops over the next year. The research will conclude with a unique exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s meteoric rise to fame - whilst spotlighting Holly’s experiences of Liverpool’s punk scene and stardom.
In a direct response to the outreach work, Homotopia and DuoVision will commission local artists to creatively contribute to the project and showcase Liverpool’s rich artistic LGBTQIA+ heritage and talent.
Kevin McManus, Head of UNESCO City of Music, Culture Liverpool said: “Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s importance in British music should not be underestimated: they changed the world with their music in the 1980s and achieved the rare feat of their first three singles all reaching Number One in the charts.
“Liverpool is renowned as a city of music and Holly Johnson has played a huge part in building our magnificent musical heritage. He could only have come from Liverpool and it is fitting that this exhibition is taking place in his home city.”
Over the space of two days, Homotopia, the UK’s longest-running LGBTQ+ arts festival, will host a series of oral history sessions. These will tackle topics including living with HIV, Liverpool’s 80s music and culture, and remembering those we have lost through HIV and AIDS. Stories captured during these sessions will feature in the forthcoming exhibition.
James Lawler, curator at DuoVision, added: “We are excited to carry out this project focusing on the life and work of trailblazing singer, musician and artist Holly Johnson. To see a performer be so open and positive about their sexuality was an affirming and influential experience at a time when homophobia was endemic.
“In the 80s, Holly was one of the musicians whose unapologetic approach to their own sexuality helped shift mainstream understanding and acceptance. Holly’s story spans a career of over 40 years from his punk days to global pop stardom, and as a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community, we hope to bring this history to light and celebrate the work and life of one of Liverpool's brightest stars.”
