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Radical Ancestry

In 2021 and 2022 we are exploring ideas of belonging. Radical Ancestry is a programme of exhibitions, projects, residencies, and events that look at how our sense of self is shaped by the histories, geographies, biology, and culture we inherit, and question how technology can help us to explore a new way of thinking and experimenting with who we are.

Developed over a number of years in collaboration with curators and artists, Radical Ancestry is made up of mostly new projects which reimagine notions of belonging. These artworks challenge categorisations, resist fixed interpretations, and redefine the ways we connect with and express our ever-changing identities.

Major new commissions include works by Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Yarli Allison, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Zinzi Minott, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind, Ebun Sodipo and Rae-Yen Song.

Book of genealogy (2021)

This work features a sculptural lightbox displays photographs taken during his first visit to his ancestral hometown, alongside 20 encoded Chinese characters depicting the generational names recorded in his family’s book of genealogy.

Orun-rere - Swarm Prototype 4 (2022)

SWARM is a social experiment: a radical reprogramming of the senses to remove binary thinking from sight and listening. A game where communication directly affects the environment, our bodies and our future.

Songs for living (2021)

In Songs for living, the ghosts of our ancestors reconnect with life in a desire to heal following personal loss and ecological upheaval. Artist Korakrit Arunanondchai collaborates with cinematographer Alex Gvojic to create a collage of visual languages and musical styles which weave together stories of grief, transformation, and spiritual power.

Deity (2022)

Sian Fan is an artist based in the UK who works across sculpture, performance, film and animation to consider the ways in which virtual and image technologies affect our physical experiences. Deity is a digital performance that combines live motion capture with physical movement.

Birthday Garden (2022)

Yaloo is an artist from South Korea who uses digital media and technology to create interactive artworks. In Birthday Garden, Yaloo invites us into an immersive underwater garden inspired by coming- of-age stories and symbols of Korean culture.

When the moon dreamed of the ocean (2022)

Josèfa Ntjam is an artist, performer and writer whose practice combines sculpture, photomontage, film and sound. This installation reexamines history in the aftermath of colonialism and the Transatlantic slave trade. It references counter-cultural movements and non-Western histories that symbolise ideas of resistance, transformation and freedom.

The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance (2022)

The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance is a research-driven, choose-your-own-adventure game featuring a custom-built chatbot that needs your help. By engaging with the work, you help build an archive which is premised on a healing, collective, and nuanced discussion around belonging.

Highlights

Trisha Baga 1620 2020 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Exhibition

Future Ages Will Wonder

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FACT

Future Ages Will Wonder presents an 'alternative museum' of artworks that use science and technology to question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are and where we belong.

Vicky Truong Our Elders Foods Tools To Transform May 2021

Workshop

Tools to Transform

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Online

Join us for an online workshop responding to different understandings and approaches to heritage, ancestry and questions of belonging.

Tour Image

Tour

Curator Tour

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FACT

Join Annie Jael Kwan, curator of exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder, for a special guided tour of works by 9 international artists and artist groups.

Yello Furry Lullaby 1

Performance

Yellow Furry Lullaby

FACT

Artist collective Breakwater of Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe present a powerful storytelling performance that brings awareness to the historical trauma of Chinese indentured labour. Join us in the gallery after hours for this intimate performance that takes the form of a healing ritual.

Web Res Light Night 2019 FACT Rob Battersby 31 copy

Tour

Alternative Heritage Walks

FACT

Join Future Ages Will Wonder artist Yarli Allison on an alternative heritage tour of Liverpool, retracing Chinatown's historical streets.

Vicky Truong Our Elders Foods Tools To Transform May 2021

Workshop

World Wide Wontons

FACT

Join us for a cooking workshop where we will be learning to make tang yuan, a Chinese and Vietnamese dessert that is often eaten as a symbol of family togetherness and union in celebration of Lunar New Year.

Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic Songs for living 2021 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 25

Exhibition

Let the Song Hold Us

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FACT

An exhibition of new immersive artworks that explore how music and song bring together the family and collective histories we inherit. Featuring Korakrit Arunanondchai, Zinzi Minott, Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind, Tessa Norton, Ebun Sodipo and Rae-Yen Song.

DRU8110

Performance

Let the Song Hold Us Opening

FACT

Join us to celebrate the opening of a brand new exhibition, Let the Song Hold Us. With free drinks, a first look at the exhibition and a performative activation of Ebun Sodipo’s newly commissioned artwork.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Zinzi Minott Fi Dem V 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES61

Talk

Artist Talk + Q&A with Zinzi Minott

FACT

Join exhibiting artist Zinzi Minott in conversation with Maitreyi Maheshwari, Head of Programme at FACT, as they unpack Zinzi’s practice and the most recent iteration of her Fi Dem series, commissioned as part of exhibition Let the Song Hold Us.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind As If No Misfortune Had Occurred In The Night 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 9

Performance

Arabic Opera Performance

Offsite

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind present a live performance of their breathtaking new Arabic-language opera. Performed to an audience for the first time by Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish, you are invited to immerse yourself in an unforgettable operatic experience at the brand new state-of-the-art Tung Auditorium.

Do Something Saturdays

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Zinzi Minott Fi Dem V A Redemptive Song 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Drew Forsyth WEB RES59

Performance, Talk

Windrush Day Celebration

Offsite

Join us at Merseyside Caribbean Centre for a Windrush Day celebration. This year marks the 74th Anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury.

SOCIALS 1080px 72dpi FACT My Garden My Sanctuary July 2022 Image by Rob Battersby 5

Exhibition

My Garden, My Sanctuary

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FACT

My Garden, My Sanctuary is a collection of new, immersive artworks by Yaloo and Sian Fan - two artists using creative technology to tell stories of ancestry and self-discovery in a hyperconnected world.

Summer Social: Aurora & Arrival City at Toxteth Town Hall, July 2018. Photo by Brian Roberts.

Special Event

The Hardy Lotus

FACT

Join Carrie Chan and Sufea Mohamad Noor for The Hardy Lotus, a communal meal documenting the experience of East and South East Asian communities in the UK.

Do Something Saturdays

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays


Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

Merseyside Burman Empire 2022 Chila Kumari Singh Burman Installation view at FACT Image by Gary W Smith27

Exhibition

Chila Kumari Singh Burman

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FACT

Welcome to Chila Kumari Singh Burman’s Merseyside Burman Empire, an experimental space filled with her eye-catching designs and artworks, as well as new works by FACT’s resident artists.

Do Something Saturdays

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays


Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

Zinzi Minott Fi Dem V A Redemptive Song 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Drew Forsyth WEB RES 8

Tour

Exhibition Tour

FACT

Join us for an introductory exhibition tour of My Garden, My Sanctuary.

Do Something Saturdays

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays


Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

Do Something Saturdays

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays


Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

The Hardy Lotus

Special Event

The Hardy Lotus

FACT

Join Carrie Chan and Sufea Mohamad Noor for The Hardy Lotus, a communal meal documenting the experience of East and South East Asian communities in the UK.

WEB SIZE 1440px 72dpi Lucy Hutchinson FACT OCT 2022 Rob Battersby 21

Exhibition

Lucy Hutchinson

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FACT

Lucy Hutchinson presents a new body of work which explores the relationship between printmaking, witchcraft, and biotechnology.

Do Something Saturdays

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays


Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

SOCIALS 1080px 72dpi FACT My Garden My Sanctuary July 2022 Rob Battersby 2

Exhibition

Sian Fan: Deity

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FACT

Don’t miss Sian Fan’s interactive installation which continues its display at FACT throughout October.

Erin Dickson Harton Moor 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Rob Battersby SOCIAL 2

Exhibition

Erin Dickson

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FACT

Exploring ideas of home through language, culture and vernacular architecture, Erin Dickson’s practice deliberately softens provocative subject matters including British class systems, AI bias, intimacy, and isolation.

April Lin 林森 The Earthly Realm Is Out of Balance 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Rob Battersby SOCIAL 8

Exhibition

April Lin 林森

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FACT

Jerwood Arts x FACT Fellowship recipient, April Lin 林森, presents new body of work, The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance.

Zinzi Minott Fi Dem V A Redemptive Song 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Drew Forsyth HIGH RES 58

Tour

Curator Tour

FACT

Join our Learning team for an interactive tour of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s new immersive exhibition.

Danielle Brathwaite Shirley When Our Worlds Meet 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Drew Forsyth HIGH RES 47

Tour

Curator Tour

FACT

Join Senior Exhibitions Producer, Charlotte Horn, for an introductory tour of our winter exhibition.

Danielle Brathwaite Shirley When Our Worlds Meet 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Drew Forsyth WEB RES126

Tour

Artist Tour

FACT

Join members of the The Bandidos for a guided tour of When Our Worlds Meet (2022), a new video game artwork produced in collaboration with artist Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. 

Ashley

Exhibition

Ashley Holmes

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FACT

Jerwood Arts / FACT Fellow and resident artist, Ashley Holmes presents a sonic exploration of Black music heritage. 

Danielle Brathwaite Shirley When Our Worlds Meet 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Drew Forsyth WEB RES 30

Special Event

Educators Evening

FACT

Calling all educators and facilitators! Join us for an insightful sharing session and learn about how we engage with schools and young people across the Liverpool City Region.

Latest articles

FACT Journal #1 - Radical Ancestry (2021-2023)

FACT’s new online journal is an open-access contemporary art journal that delves into FACT’s artistic programme with essays, images and perspectives from curators, artists and scholars.

by Jess Fairclough

Boedi Widjaja

Activity Sheet: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley & Josèfa Ntjam

Discover an underwater world and a video game created with young people from Liverpool. Download our family friendly activity sheet to explore a free exhibition featuring works by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Josèfa Ntjam.

by Jess Fairclough

Do Something Saturdays Family Friendly Kids Laptops

Watch: K-pop Dance Tutorial

Become a K-pop dance sensation! Learn a fun K-pop dance routine alongside The University of Liverpool's K-pop Society.

by Jess Fairclough

Sian Fan Deity 8 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Image by Rob Battersby

Activity Sheet: My Garden, My Sanctuary

Discover an underwater seaweed garden, learn a K-Pop dance and unlock interactive Instagram filters in this family-friendly activity sheet. Specially designed for families to explore our exhibition, My Garden, My Sanctuary.

by Jess Fairclough

LightNight: Ritual, 2019. Photo by Rob Battersby.

Virtual Tour: Let The Song Hold Us

Explore a virtual tour of Let The Song Hold Us. An exhibition of new immersive artworks that explore how music and song bring together the family and collective histories we inherit.

by Jess Fairclough

Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic Songs for living 2021 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 25

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Larry Achiampong and David Blandy

Welcome to the third and final episode of our podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this episode, Annie chats with artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

by Gina Schwarz

Larry Achiampong and David Blandy Dust to Data 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES 3

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Breakwater of Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe

Welcome to the second episode of our new podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this episode, Annie chats with artists Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe of Breakwater whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

by Gina Schwarz

Breakwater Fermented Flower 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES 3

Virtual Tour: Future Ages Will Wonder

Explore a virtual tour of Future Ages Will Wonder, a major group exhibition that presents an “alternative museum” of artworks that use science and technology to question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are and where we belong.

by Jess Fairclough

Yarli Allison Cigarette Cards Ethnic Chinese Seafarers in Britain 1900s 2021 Image by Drew Forsyth

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Yarli Allison & Boedi Widjaja

Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this first episode, Annie chats with artists Yarli Allison and Boedi Widjaja whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

by Jess Fairclough

Boedi Widjaja A Tree 记因 基亿 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Blog: Exploring Liverpool's old Chinatown in Future Ages Will Wonder

Future Ages Will Wonder, a major exhibition of works by nine UK and international artists is now open at FACT. Explore an ‘alternative museum’ that includes a reconstruction of Liverpool’s old Chinatown and tells the stories of its lost Chinese sailors who were abruptly repatriated following World War II.

by Josh Barrow

Yarli Allison In 1875 We Met At the Docks of Liverpool 於梨花埠遇上 2021 Image by Drew Forsyth

Listen: In both trickles and floods

Reaching across time zones and geographical regions, artist in residence Angela YT Chan and curator Annie Jael Kwan, have co-created an experimental audio work that explores their shared fascination with liquidity.

by Josh Barrow

Image twitter1631872007306

Watch: As yet untitled

Linda Stupart and Ayesha Tan Jones have collaborated to share how they can make work together, whilst they are apart

by Josh Barrow

Image twitter1631872621131

Listen: I’ve got the power!

For Framework for Trust, artist in residence Tessa Norton and artist Shonagh Short have produced a podcast by exchanging voice notes.

by Josh Barrow

Image twitter1632324496037