Press Release

In Seven Days…by Nicola Green European debut of iconic images of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign

The Studio of Nicola Green is pleased to announce the first European exhibition of In Seven Days… at the prestigious Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK, from 19 January to 14 April 2013. This major solo exhibition tells the inspiring story of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. In Seven Days…is a study by British artist Nicola Green of this historic event, which saw the election of the USA’s first black President. The international significance of this story, its powerful inspiration to the world and future generations, is highlighted in Nicola’s work and distilled into seven striking silkscreen prints. The works were recently the subject of a BBC Radio 4 Arts Feature, In Seven Days… Inside a Historic Campaign. Director of Art Galleries Sandra Penketh says: “There is a monumental story behind In Seven Days… Nicola’s work is a wonderful example of how art can not just record great events, but so beautifully capture the emotion and spirit of the time. “We’re really pleased to be the first gallery in Europe to show In Seven Days… Liverpool has a global history which resonates with the themes of race and identity within the work.” In Seven Days… transcends political faction. As a British woman, who initiated this independent project, Nicola gained a unique outsider’s view of an intimate yet global story. For her, “the work is a deconstruction of what hope really is; a reflection on what future generations can take from this moment in history.” With unprecedented access for a British artist, Nicola embedded herself in Obama’s campaign during six separate trips to the USA. Her literal visits, as well as the themes in this story, were distilled within seven iconic images, carved out of the many photographs, sketches, conversations and prints the artist completed during and after her journey.

A deeply personal motive instigated this work, as Nicola is the mother of mixed-race boys. “It seemed natural and important to me that I should make a portrait of Obama, not least because when I looked at my sons I saw his face in theirs, saw their hope and their future”, Nicola said. The seven images have a formal order: Light is the first in the series and represents the beginning of the story; Struggle is the history of the campaign; Hope the characters involved; Change the main protagonist; Fear conveys the obstacles encountered; Sacrifice/Embrace an ambiguous resolution, and Peace a conclusive hope for the future. Each of the seven images is accompanied by a selection of the primary material (including Nicola’s drawings and photographs) that informed the work. This research and preparatory material is just a tiny proportion of the work Nicola amassed, but gives some insight into the task of reducing this abundance of noise, crowds, speeches, propaganda and celebrity, to these minimal and coherent images.

Artist biography Nicola Green graduated from Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, in 1998 with a Distinction in Master of Fine Arts (MFA) following a First Class Honours Degree in Drawing and Painting (BA), winning the Andrew Grant Bequest Scholarship in 1997 and 1998 and a Department for Education Scholarship in 1996. Her work has been selected for renowned public collections including The Courtauld Institute of Art, London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Nicola is a Trustee of the charity Paintings in Hospitals and a Patron of the Prince's Drawing School Drawing Clubs and is on the board of Edinburgh College of Art's alumni council. She is based in London with a studio at Bruce Castle Museum, a residency at John Jones, and a studio in Finsbury Park.

Notes For Editors: Press Contact: Alana Pryce Tojcic (on behalf of The Studio of Nicola Green). Email: [email protected] Mobile: + 44 (0)7940420631 www.nicolagreen.com, Twitter: @NicolaGreenArt Link for the BBC Radio 4 documentary below: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nlf05