An artwork depicting NHS heroes once displayed at Tate Liverpool has been installed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Presented to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool by the Tate, the artwork depicts its staff who continued working on the frontlines during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was created by New York based artist Aliza Nisenbaum to celebrate the efforts of NHS key workers who continued in their roles throughout the challenges of the pandemic.
The group portrait is one of 20 works that were originally commissioned by Tate Liverpool and shown inside the waterfront gallery in 2021. Since the works have been on display, the Tate made the decision that a fitting setting for the artwork would be at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital ahead of the NHS 75th anniversary celebrations.
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The painting, called ‘Team Time Storytelling, Alder Hey Children's Hospital Emergency Department, Covid Pandemic, 2020’ shows a group of staff members in an outdoor space at the hospital. Those people depicted represent a broad range of roles, including administrative staff, nurses, porters, doctors and more.
Ms Nisenbaum was due to undertake a residency in Liverpool in spring 2020 but this had to be changed due to the start of the pandemic. Instead the artist adapted her practice by working with her subjects remotely by utilising video technology to develop a bond with her participants and paint them from real life, according to the Tate.
For this painting, Nisenbaum asked each person to make a drawing about their workplace experiences during the pandemic - a practice that hospital staff are said to use with children to help communicate their emotions. These are included within the final image.
Helen Legg, director of Tate Liverpool, said: “Tate is proud to be able to unveil Aliza Nisenbaum’s painting at Alder Hey – a rare example of an artwork from the national collection on view to the public in a non-arts setting. Aliza’s image of NHS frontline workers during the pandemic moved everyone who saw it. Seeing it on display again is an acknowledgement of the value of our NHS as it celebrates its 75th anniversary and is a tribute to those who care.”
Louise Shepherd CBE, Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There is much to be proud of as we approach the 75th birthday of the NHS and this artwork is a valuable reminder of the outstanding dedication of our staff during the recent pandemic.
“The unveiling of this stunning painting at Alder Hey is a huge honour and is testament to the fantastic support Tate Liverpool has given to our Arts for Health Programme for twenty years. We have delivered some incredible collaborative programmes during that time and I look forward to us together bringing further benefits to our children and young people in the future.”
