On Thursday 7th of Feburary, the artists of Up North Arts Society were given the opportunity to take over Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, for one night only. The night saw artworks from a variety of different artists exhibited alongside Ren Hang’s Wake Up Together and Robin Hammond’s Where Love is Illegal; two bodies of work pushing for the right to exist in our own skin and our own terms. The curation of H(u)MAN was inspired by Open Eye's current exhibition and reflected on themes of what it is to be human in contemporary times. The event showed artwork which challenges various topics surrounding the human experience such as sexuality, gender, modern communication, memory, and feminism.

Opening the night in gallery one was the performance work, In Conversation, by Megan Teece Round and Ross Davies. Exploring how communication has changed or adapted according to new technologies and social media, the two artists invited members of the audience to communicate with them, either in person or through livestream technology. The work demanded viewers to think about the ways in which we interact in 2019.

Moving into gallery two, visitors were presented with sculpture, projection, film, and many more different works of art. Sat in the middle of the room, and at the centre of conversation, was the work of Daisy Williamson. PLAYMATE, which is a large, interactive, textural sculpture, uses stereotypes of 'women's work' to highlight the absurdity of sexism in a funny and accessible way. You are encouraged to sit with her work, cuddle it and read what it has to say.

Upstairs in gallery three held a breath-taking collection of paintings and sculptures. The work of Bethany Lee, which sat perfectly in between the work of Ren Hang, showed the body as a fluid, flexible tool of emotion generation and was perfectly complemented by the sculptural work of Ellie Sainsbury which sat proud in the centre of the room.

Up North Arts (UNA) is a collective formed of Contemporary Arts students at Lancaster University. We are a student-led collective who organise exhibitions and events across the North West of England, showing a broad range of artistic practices. UNA encourage the individuality and personal growth of each of our members and aim to create opportunities for artists in the early stages of their career. Our work reflects the diversity of the group and focuses on issues of contemporary life and art. With artists working in sculpture, performance, painting and other practices, every show is unique.

This is UNA’s second time showing work in Liverpool after our previous exhibition, ‘Concrete Picnic’ which took place in Camp and Furnace and The Baltic Social in 2017.