On the eve of the US presidential election the Walker Art Gallery has announced the first European display of seven silkscreen prints which tell the story of Barack Obama’s winning 2008 campaign.
‘In Seven Days’ is a study by artist Nicola Green which saw the election of the USA’s first Black President and is set to go on display from 19th January to 14th of April 2013.
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 cannot 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.”
Nicola was able to visit Obama’s campaign in the US on six separate occasions. The themes in the story are shown through seven iconic images, each a denouncement of photographs, sketches, conversations and prints the artist completed during and after her journey.
‘In Seven Days’ takes no political stance, Nicola said: “The work is a deconstruction of what hope really is; a reflection on what future generations can take from this moment in history.
“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.”
The seven images have a formal order that depict the campaign in different stages. Light, Struggle, Hope, Change, Fear, Sacrifice/Embrace, and Peace.
The display announcement came as the Presidential race had begun. Early votes across 34 states Tuesday morning had totalled thirty million, and numbers are expected to be close to the 130 million votes cast in the 2008 election.
The US presidential election will be decided by just a handful of ‘battleground’ states, Ohio is the critical state, as a swing state it could decide the election, and no Republican has ever made it to the White House without a victory there.
On Tuesday morning The BBC News average of national polls, showed Obama with a single point lead over Romney. Obama stood at 49% compared to Romney’s 48%.
In a campaign that has cost more than $2 billion dollars, should Mr Romney win he would be the first ever Mormon president of the United States.