Liverpool Biennial is the largest international contemporary art festival in the United Kingdom. Every two years, the city of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

hosts an extensive range of artworks, projects, and a programme of events. The biennial commissions leading and emerging artists to make and present permanent and temporary public artworks, as well as long-term community-based projects. These newly commissioned and existing artworks are presented in diverse locations, including unusual public spaces, and unused buildings, as well as the city's galleries, museums, and cultural venues. Cultural organisations in

provide context for the presentation of

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

and culture. Since its launch in 1999, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 300 new artworks and presented work by over 444 artists from around the world. During the last 10 years, Liverpool Biennial has had an economic impact of £119.6 million. Liverpool Biennial 2014 attracted nearly 877,000 visits.

History

Liverpool Biennial was established by James Moores (with Jane Rankin Read,

Lewis Biggs Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

and

Bryan Biggs Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and struct ...

) in 1998 and has presented festivals in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (as part of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture), 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. As of 2012,

Sally Tallant Sally may refer to: People * Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting ...

is the Director of Liverpool Biennial. The Biennial exhibition is supported by FACT (the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology),

Tate Liverpool Tate Liverpool is an art gallery and museum in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The museum was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corpo ...

National Museums Liverpool
Bluecoat, and Open Eye Gallery. The annual ''Bloomberg New Contemporaries'' Exhibition showcases new work by graduates from Fine Art schools in the UK. Since 2006, the Liverpool Biennial has included 'collateral' events organised and supported by embassies, international agencies, or galleries, and promoted by Liverpool Biennial as a part of the programme. In 2010, for the first time, the biennial offered a platform for exhibitions organised overseas and promoted under the title ''City States''. Visitors to the Biennial spent £27 million total in 2010. Liverpool Biennial has a year-round programme of commissioning art for the public realm, such as Richard Wilson's ''Turning the Place Over'' and

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the '' Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another ...

's ''Another Place'' at Crosby Beach. The organizers also promote an ongoing educational programme. The Biennial coincides with the

John Moores Painting Prize The John Moores Painting Prize is a biennial award to the best contemporary painting, submission is open to the public. The prize is named for Sir John Moores, noted philanthropist, who established the award in 1957. The winning work and short-lis ...

, an open submission award to the best contemporary painting in the UK. The winning work and shortlisted pieces are exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery as part of the Liverpool Biennial programme.

Biennials

2004

In 2004, the festival caused controversy by exhibiting a work by

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

entitled ''My mummy was beautiful''. This was a series of full colour photographs of a woman's breast and crotch, which were exhibited throughout the city centre. Peter Johansson's ''Swedish red'' was a one-room house at the Pier Head painted bright red and playing

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

's record '' Dancing Queen''. The Walker Art Gallery mounted ''

The Stuckists Punk Victorian ''The Stuckists Punk Victorian'' was the first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art.Moss, Richard"Stuckist's Punk Victorian gatecrashes Walker's Biennial Culture24, 17 September 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2009. It was held at the Walker ...

'', the first major show of the

Stuckist Stuckism () is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting as opposed to conceptual art."Stuckist's Punk Victorian gatecrashes Walker's Biennial"
Culture24, 17 September 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2009. Participating artists included Lara Almarcegui, Ursula Biemann, Yael Bartana,

Luis Camnitzer Luis Camnitzer (born November 6, 1937) is a German-born Uruguayan artist, curator, art critic, and academic who was at the forefront of 1960s Conceptual Art. Camnitzer works primarily in sculpture, printmaking, and installation, exploring top ...

Paolo Canevari Paolo Canevari (born Rome, 1963) is an Italian contemporary artist. He lives and works in New York City. Canevari presents highly recognizable, commonplace symbols in order to comment on such concept as religion, the urban myths of happiness ...

, Billy Childish,

Amanda Coogan Amanda Coogan (born 1971) is an Irish performance artist, living and working in Dublin. She studied under the performance artist Marina Abramović at the HBK Hochschule für Bildende Kunste, Braunschweig, Germany. In her performance art, she pr ...

, Marysia Lewandowska &

Neil Cummings Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

, Dias & Riedweg, Maria Eichhorn,

Carl Michael von Hausswolff Carl Michael von Hausswolff (born 1956) is a composer, visual artist, and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices (camera, tape deck, radar, sonar) used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, arc ...

, Satch Hoyt, Huang Yong Ping, Sanja Ivekovic,

Francesco Jodice Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...

, Peter Johansson, Yeondoo Jung, Werner Kaligofsky, Germaine Koh, Andreja Kuluncic,

Oswaldo Macia Oswaldo (Spanish for "Oswald") is a Spanish masculine given name. It may refer to: *Oswaldo Castillo, Nicaraguan-American gardener/construction worker-turned-actor *Oswaldo Cruz (1872–1917), Brazilian physician, bacteriologist, epidemiologist and ...

Jill Magid Jill Magid (born 1973) is an American conceptual artist, writer, and filmmaker. Magid’s performance-based practice "interrogates structures of power on an intimate level, exploring the emotional, philosophical, and legal tensions that exist b ...

, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Esko Männikkö,

Dorit Margreiter Dorit is a given name, the Hebrew version of Doris, and may refer to: *Dorit Aharonov (born 1970), Israeli computer scientist specializing in quantum computing *Dorit Bar Or (born 1975), Israeli actress and fashion designer *Dorit Beinisch (born 1 ...

, Cildo Meireles,

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

Mathias Poledna Mathias, a given name and a surname which is a variant of Matthew (name), may refer to: Places * Mathias, West Virginia * Mathias Township, Michigan People with the given name or surname ''Mathias'' In music * Mathias Eick, Norwegian Jazz Musicia ...

, Marjetica Potrc, Raqs Media Collective, Navin Rawanchaikul, Martha Rosler, Santiago Sierra,

Valeska Soares Valeska Soares (born in 1957 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, MG) is a Brooklyn-based Brazilian-American sculptor and installation artist. Her sculptures and installations utilize a wide range of materials—including reflective mirrors, antique ...

, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Yang Fudong, Oliver Bancroft,

Thomas Bangsted Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, David Blandy,

Margarita Bofiliou A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up ...

Dave Carbone Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

, Lali Chetwynd,

Petros Chrisostomou Petros, the original Greek and Coptic version of the name Peter, meaning "stone" or "rock", may refer to: People * Petros (given name) * Petros (surname) * Petros (footballer), Brazilian footballer Petros Matheus dos Santos Araújo (born 1989 ...

Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...

, James Connelly,

Tessa Farmer Tessa Farmer (born 1978, Birmingham, UK) is an artist based in London. Her work, made from insect carcasses, plant roots and other found natural materials, comprises hanging installations depicting Boschian battles between insects and tiny w ...

, Oriana Fox,

Sarah Gilder Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a p ...

Anton Goldenstein Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

Mauricio Guillen Mauricio may refer to: * Mauricio (given name) * Maurício José da Silveira Júnior (born 1988), Brazilian footballer known by the mononym Maurício *Maurício (footballer) (Maurício dos Santos Nascimento, born 1988), Brazilian footballer *216428 ...

Thomas Hylander Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, Yvonne Jones,

Samson Kambalu Samson Kambalu (born 1975) is a Malawi-born artist, academic and author who trained as a fine artist and ethnomusicologist at the University of Malawi's Chancellor College. He is a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. Life and work Kambalu was b ...

Ahn Kang-hyun Ahn or AHN may refer to: People * Ahn (Korean surname), a Korean family name occasionally Romanized as ''An'' * Ahn Byeong-keun (born 1962, ), South Korean judoka * Ahn Eak-tai (1906–1965, ), Korean composer and conductor * Ahn Jung-hwan (bor ...

, Karoly Kesaru,

Heidi Kilpelainen ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...

Steven Lowery Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

Nicky Magliulo Nicky is a diminutive form of the name Nicholas, Nicola (name), Nicola and Nicole (name), Nicole, occasionally used as a given name in its own right. It can also be used as a diminutive of Dominic. It may refer to: People Sports * Nicky Adams (b ...

, Gary McDonald, Sarah Michael,

Thomas Needham Thomas Needham (born 1864) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Derby County. Thomas Needham, a versatile forward, was a reserve player for Derby County at the start of the Football League era. Thomas Needham, playin ...

, Robert Nichol,

Jesse Richards Jesse Richards (born July 17, 1975) is a painter, filmmaker and photographer from New Haven, Connecticut and was affiliated with the international movement Stuckism. He has been described as "one of the most provocative names in American underg ...

, David Rowland,

Michael Sailstorfer Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, Margaret Salmon, Qasim Riza Shaheen,

Shen Yuan Shen Yuan (; born 1959 in Xianyou, Fujian), is a Chinese-born French artist. She graduated from China Academy of Art in 1982, and then started to practice in the Xiamen Dada group, an artists group that is known for exploring radical avant-garde a ...

Heiko Tiemann Heiko may refer to: * Heiko (given name) (including a list of people with the name) * Heiko (film), a 2008 short film See also * HEICO HEICO Corporation is an aerospace and electronics company that focuses on niche markets. HEICO’s product ...

, Douglas White, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Goang-ming Yuan.

2006

In 2006, there were five exhibition strands—International 06, International +, John Moores 24, the Independents and New Contemporaries Participating artists included

Monica Bonvicini Monica Bonvicini (born 1965 in Venice) is an Italian artist. In her work, Bonvicini investigates the relationship between power structures, gender and space. She works intermediately with installation, sculpture, video, photography and drawing me ...

, Mark Bradford, Matthew Buckingham, Chen Chieh-Jen, Esra Ersen, Carlos Garaicoa, Simryn Gill, Shilpa Gupta,

Jeppe Hein Jeppe Hein (born 1974, Copenhagen, Denmark) is an artist based in Berlin and Copenhagen.Oscar Melgar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

Jesus Javier Jaime Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

, Toba Khedoori, Hans-Peter Kuhn,

Ken Lum Kenneth Robert Lum, OC DFA (; born 1956) is a dual citizen Canadian and American academic, painter, photographer, sculptor, and writer. Working in a number of media including painting, sculpture and photography, his art ranges from conceptua ...

, Teresa Margolles, Kelly Mark,

Lee Mingwei LEE Mingwei (Chinese: 李明維; born 1964) is a Taiwanese-American contemporary artist currently living and working in Paris, France and New York, USA. Lee Mingwei creates participatory installations, where strangers can explore issues of trust, in ...

, Priscilla Monge, Mario Navarro,

Lisa Oppenheim Lisa Oppenheim (born 1975) is an American multimedia artist. Education Lisa Oppenheim was born in New York City in the year of 1975. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Brown University in 1998, concentrating in Modern Culture and Media, Art an ...

, Philippe Parreno,

Anu Pennanen Anu ( akk, , from 𒀭 ''an'' “Sky”, “Heaven”) or Anum, originally An ( sux, ), was the divine personification of the sky, king of the gods, and ancestor of many of the deities in ancient Mesopotamian religion. He was regarded as ...

Amalia Pica Amalia Pica (born 1978 in Neuquén, Argentina) is a London-based Argentinian artist who explores metaphor, communication, and civic participation through sculptures, installations, photographs, projections, live performances, and drawings. Early ...

Jean-François Prost Jean-François Prost is a visual artist based in Montreal, Quebec. He has a degree in environmental design at Université du Québec à Montréal and in Architecture at Carleton University (Ottawa). He is mostly known for his investigations in spa ...

, Rigo 23, Qasim Riza Shaheen,

Shimabuku Shimabukuro or Shimabuku (written: 島袋) is an Okinawan surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Hiroko Shimabukuro (b. 1984), Japanese singer * Jake Shimabukuro (b. 1976), American ukulele virtuoso * Maile Shimabukuro (b. 1970), memb ...

, Julianne Swartz, The Kingpins, Kuang-Yu Tsui,

Adriana Varejao Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy. Translations * Arabic: أدريان * Belorussian: Адрыяна (Adryjana) * Bulgarian: Адриана (Adriana) * Chinese Sim ...

Humberto Velez Humberto is a Portuguese and Spanish masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to: * Humberto Aguilar Coronado * Humberto Ak'ab'al *Humberto Albiñana * Humberto Albornoz *Humberto Alonso Morelli * Humberto Alonso Razo *Humberto Andrade ...

Matej Andraz Vogrincic Matej is a given name that originates from the Slavic nations of Central and Eastern Europe. It is one of the most common male names in Slovakia and Slovenia, and is also common in Croatia. The name is originally derived from Matthias the Apostle. ...

, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jun Yang, Yang Jiechang.

2008

One Year in Liverpool - Do you feel lonely

The theme and title of the Biennial's showpiece ''International 08'' exhibition was "Made Up". Throughout 2008 as part of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture, new commissions for the public realm included ''Winter Lights'' (a series of neon lights by international artists, such as Frank Scurti and Michael Pinsky, in collaboration with local communities), ''Visible Virals'' ( interventionist artworks in public spaces and buildings in the city), and a series of ''Pavilions'' (creating spaces for cultural activity in local communities). Again there was also the John Moores Painting Prize (No. 25), the New Contemporaries and The Independents. Participating artists included Ai Weiwei, David Altmejd, Atelier Bow-Wow, Guy Ben-Ner, Manfredi Beninati, David Blandy, U-Ram Choe, Adam Cvijanovic, Nancy Davenport,

Diller Scofidio + Renfro Diller Scofidio + Renfro is an American interdisciplinary design studio that integrates architecture, the visual arts, and the performing arts. Based in New York City, Diller Scofidio + Renfro is led by four partners – Elizabeth Diller, Ri ...

, Leandro Erlich,

Omer Fast Omer Fast (born in Jerusalem 1972) is an Israeli video artist. Early life and education Born and raised in Israel, Fast spent much of his teenage years in Jericho, New York while his father pursued a medical degree in both countries. He receiv ...

Adrian Ghenie Adrian Ghenie (; born 13 August 1977 in Baia Mare) is a contemporary Romanian painter, who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Early life and education The son of a dentist, he studied fine arts at the Arts and Crafts School in Baia Mare be ...

, Rodney Graham, Tue Greenfort, Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler, Alison Jackson, Jesper Just, Otto Karvonen, Yayoi Kusama,

Ulf Langheinrich Ulf Langheinrich (born 1960 Wolfen, Germany) is a visual artist and composer. His work is mainly concerned with non-narrative environments and performances focusing on a specific approach to time, space and body. Since 2016 he is the Artistic Dire ...

(Granular-Synthesis), Luisa Lambri, Gabriel Lester, Annette Messager, Tracey Moffatt,

, Ged Quinn,

Khalil Rabah Khalil, Khelil, or Khaleel may refer to: People * Khalil (Pashtun tribe) * Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist, and Lebanese nationalist * Khalil (scholar), 19th century Islamic scholar in the Emirate of ...

The Royal Art Lodge The Royal Art Lodge was a collaborative group of artists based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, founded in 1996 by Michael Dumontier, Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, Drue Langlois, Jon Pylypchuk, and Adrian Williams at the University of Manitoba Th ...

, Sarah Sze,

Tomas Saraceno Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian s ...

, Richard Woods.

2010

The 6th biennial in

was launched with a one night exhibition by Filip Gilissen on 14 May 2010 and ran from 18 September 2010 to 28 November 2010. It contained six programmes of contemporary art including: Bloomberg New Contemporaries, City States, John Moores Painting Prize 2010, S.Q.U.A.T. Liverpool 2010, and The Cooperative. Displays included works by Alfredo Jaar,

Do-Ho Suh Do Ho Suh (hangul: 서도호, born 1962) is a Korean sculptor and installation artist. He also works across various media, including paintings and film which explore the concept of space and home. His work is particularly well known in relation t ...

and the first UK presentation of any work by Tehching Hsieh. The visitor centre was located in the former Rapid Hardware shop on Renshaw Street. Participating artists included

Sachiko Abe is a feminine Japanese given name that means "''child of bliss''." It also means "''happiness''" when it is written with the kanji characters 幸子. One common short form of the name is ''Sachi''. People * Sachiko, Princess Hisa (久宮祐子� ...

, Alfredo & Isabel Aquilizan,

Laura Belem Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay ...

Emese Benczur Emese (fl. 9th century CE) was the daughter of Prince Önedbelia of Dentumoger, the consort of the Scythian (i.e. from Dentumoger, Scythia) lord Ügyek, and the mother of High Prince Álmos in Hungarian historical mythology; thus, she was the an ...

Daniel Bozhkov Daniel Bozhkov ( bg, Даниел Ангелов Божков; born 27 April 1983) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Career Club Bozhkov has been raised in Botev Plovdiv's youth teams and was the team's ca ...

, Nina Canell,

Danica Dakic Danica may refer to: * Danica (given name), people with the given name * Danica concentration camp, in the Independent State of Croatia * A personification of the morning star in Slavic mythology * Danica (magazine), a 19th-century magazine in Cr ...

, Song Dong, Wannes Goetschalckx,

NS Harsha NS as an abbreviation can mean: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Natural Selection'' (video game), a mod for the game ''Half-life'' * '' NetStorm: Islands At War'', a real-time strategy game published in 1997 by Activision * Nintendo Switch, a ...

, Diango Hernandez,

Nicholas Hlobo Nicholas Hlobo is a South African artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was born in 1975 in Cape Town. He earned a Bachelor of Technology from Technikon Witwatersrand in 2002. He creates large sculptural works that are expansive masses ...

Jamie Isenstein Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

, Alfredo Jaar, Eva Kotatkova, Will Kwan,

Lars Laumann Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was ...

, Antii Laitinen,

Minouk Lim Minouk Lim (born 1968) is a South Korean multimedia artist, and documentary filmmaker. She has had exhibitions at such institutes as National Museum of Fine Arts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Walker Ar ...

, Cristina Lucas, Tala Madani,

Yves Netzhammer Yves Netzhammer (born 1970) is a Swiss artist who lives and works in Zurich. Born in Schaffhausen, he studied architecture there and later obtained a diploma at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich, department of visual design. He has ...

, Raymond Pettibon, Ranjani Shettar,

, Franz West,

Hector Zamora In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

, Tehching Hsieh, Carlos Martiel, Kris Martin,

Otto Muehl Otto Muehl (16 June 1925 – 26 May 2013) was an Austrian artist, who was known as one of the co-founders as well as a main participant of Viennese Actionism and for founding the Friedrichshof Commune. In 1943, Muehl had to serve in the German ...

, Carol Rama,

Ryan Trecartin Ryan Trecartin (born 1981) is an American artist and filmmaker currently based in Athens, Ohio. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a BFA in 2004. Trecartin has since lived and worked in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Ph ...

, Magdalena Abakanowicz,

Aime Mpane Aime (; frp, Éma) is a former commune in the Savoie ''département'' in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Aime-la-Plagne.Oren Eliav, Tim Eitel, Edi Hila, Y.Z. Kami, Zbynek Sedlecky,

Minerva Cuevas Minerva Cuevas (born 1975) is a Mexican conceptual artist known for site-specific interventions guided by social and political research and social change ideals. Her production includes installation, video works and photographic works as well as ...

Meschac Gaba Meschac Gaba (born 1961) is a Beninese conceptual artist based in Rotterdam and Cotonou. His installations of everyday objects whimsically juxtapose African and Western cultural identities and commerce. He is best known for ''The Museum of Co ...

, Clegg & Guttmann,

Daniel Knorr Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

, Rob Pruitt,

Anton Vidokle Anton Vidokle is an artist and founder of e-flux. Born 1965, Vidokle lives in New York and Berlin. Work In 2004 Vidokle co-organized e-flux video rental with Julieta Aranda, which traveled to Berlin, Frankfurt; Extra City, Antwerp; Carpenter C ...

/ Julieta Aranda, Tania Bruguera, Carlos Amorales. Liverpool Biennial 2010 was curated by Lorenzo Fusi, Artistic Director in collaboration with: Frances Loeffler and Raj Sandhu.

2012

For its 7th edition, Liverpool Biennial explored the theme of hospitality, inviting artists and thinkers to bring forth new understandings for our increasingly globalised and complex times. The biennial exhibition, ''The Unexpected Guest'', comprised 62 international artists, and the Cunard Building was used as a venue for the first time. The programme included: ''Sky Arts Ignition Series'', in partnership with

, a public commission by US artist, Doug Aitken, installed on Albert Dock in a temporary structure designed by

David Adjaye Sir David Frank Adjaye (born 22 September 1966) is a Ghanaian-British architect. He is known for having designed many notable buildings around the world, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D ...

; American composer

Rhys Chatham Rhys Chatham (born September 19, 1952) is an American composer, guitarist, trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist (flutes in C, alto and bass, keyboard), primarily active in avant-garde and minimalist music. He is best known for his "guitar or ...

, known for his large-scale performance works presented a concert as part of the opening weekend; one of Argentina's most established and internationally renowned artists, Jorge Macchi, presented ''Refraction'' in the LJMU Copperas Hill Building; Israeli artist, Oded Hirsch presented ''Lift'' a work which appeared to burst through the floor of Liverpool ONE - Liverpool's retail destination. Artists who were part of ''The Unexpected Guest'' included Doug Aitken with

John Akomfrah John Akomfrah (born 4 May 1957) is a British artist, writer, film director, screenwriter, theorist and curator of Ghanaian descent, whose "commitment to a radicalism both of politics and of cinematic form finds expression in all his films". A ...

, Hurvin Anderson, Janine Antoni,

Keith Arnatt Keith Arnatt (1930–2008) was a British conceptual artist. As well as conceptual art his work is sometimes discussed in relation to land art, minimalism, and photography. He lived and worked in London, Liverpool, Yorkshire and Monmouthshire. Lif ...

Kader Attia Kader Attia (born 30 December 1970) is an Algerian-French artist. Early life Attia was born in Dugny, France to Algerian parents and was raised in Paris and Algeria. He studied at the '' l'école Duperré de Paris, l'école des arts appliqu� ...

, Yael Bartana,

Sylvie Blocher Sylvie Blocher (born 1953) is a French artist. Blocher is known for her video works that engage local communities. Her long-running project ''Living Pictures'' is a series of video portraits that, according to Blocher, attempts to "render speech ...

, Andrea Bowers,

Sophie Calle Sophie Calle (born 9 October 1953) is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement known as Oulipo. H ...

Libia Castro Libia may refer to: *Libya, the country, as a misspelling or in Italian and other languages **Particularly during the Italian period *Libia (Rome Metro) Libia is an underground station on Line B of the Rome Metro. It is located at the junction o ...

and Ólafur Ólafsson, Enrico David,

Eugenio Dittborn Eugenio is an Italian and Spanish masculine given name deriving from the Greek ' Eugene'. The name is Eugénio in Portuguese and Eugênio in Brazilian Portuguese. The name's translated literal meaning is well born, or of noble status. Similar de ...

, Elmgreen and Dragset,

Peter Fischli & David Weiss Peter Fischli (born 8 June 1952) and David Weiss (21 June 1946 – 27 April 2012), often shortened to Fischli/Weiss, were a Switzerland, Swiss artist duo that collaborated beginning in 1979. Their best-known work is the film ''Der Lauf der D ...

, FormContent,

Dora Garcia Dora may stand for: *Dora (given name) Places United States *Dora, Alabama *Dora, Arkansas *Dora, Missouri *Dora, New Mexico * Dora, Oregon *Dora, Pennsylvania *Mount Dora, Florida Other countries *Lake Dora (Tasmania) *Lake Dora (Western Au ...

, Gilbert and George, Simryn Gill, Mona Hatoum, Fritz Haeg,

Oded Hirsch Oded is a Hebrew name meaning "encouragement". People with the name Oded: * Oded Baloush, Israeli footballer * Oded Brandwein (born 1988), Israeli-Polish professional basketball player in the Israeli Premier League *Oded Burla (1915–2009), Israe ...

, Thomas Hirschhorn,

Nadia Kaabi Linke Nadia Kaabi-Linke (born 1978) is a Tunis-born, Berlin-based visual artist best known for her conceptual art and 2011 sculpture ''Flying Carpets''. Her work has explored themes of geopolitics, immigration, and transnational identities. Raised ...

Markus Kahre Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

William Kentridge William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films, especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s. The latter are constructed by ...

Anja Kirschner Aanya, Anya or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most cultures especially Indian, and unisex in several African and European countries. Origins and variant forms * Aanya or Anya is an Indian name that means inexhaustible, limitless ...

and

David Panos David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Jakob Kolding Jakob may refer to: People * Jakob (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jakob (surname), including a list of people with the name Other * Jakob (band) Jakob is a New Zealand post-rock band, based in the Hawkes Bay city o ...

, Jiri Kovanda,

Suzanne Lacy Suzanne Lacy (born 1945) is an American artist, educator, writer, and professor at the USC Roski School of Art and Design. She has worked in a variety of media, including installation, video, performance, public art, photography, and art books, i ...

Runo Lagomarsino Runo may refer to: * Runo (legendary king), from ''The History of the Kings of Britain'' * Ruño, an ethnic group of Peru * Runö, an island in Estonia *Cantos of the Kalevala People with the name * Gösta Runö, Swedish athlete * Runo Isakse ...

Jorge Macchi Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

Dane Mitchell Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (Germanic tribe) Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a list of people with the name ...

Sabelo Mlangeni Sabelo Mlangeni (born 22 February 1980) is a South African photographer living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. His work is held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Walth ...

, Mark Morrisroe, Patrick Murphy, Ahmet Ögüt,

Field Operations Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a gra ...

, Trevor Paglen,

Christodoulos Panayiotou Christodoulos Panayiotou (born 1978) is a Cypriot artist. Panayiotou's work spans a wide range of media, including sculpture, painting, installation, performance, photography, and video, and focuses on uncovering hidden narratives in the visual ...

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in ...

, Pedro Reyes, Rhizome, Pamela Rosenkranz, George Shaw,

Pak Sheung Chuen Tozer Pak Sheung Chuen () is a Hong Kong artist. He represented Hong Kong at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, with a solo exhibition titled Harbour, Hong Kong, Alienated Cities and Dreams, featuring 4 site-specified installations He is known for th ...

Patrick Waterhouse Patrick Waterhouse (born 13 August 1981) is a British artist. His work involves photography, drawing and graphic design. He has published books of his work and been exhibited internationally. Since 2011 he has been editor-in-chief of ''Colors'' mag ...

, Mikhael Subotzky, Superflex,

Sinta Tantra Sinta Tantra (born 11 November 1979) is a British artist of Balinese descent. She was born in New York on 11 November 1979, and spent her childhood in Indonesia, America and the UK. She graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 200 ...

Althea Thauberger Althea Thauberger is a Canadian visual artist, film maker and educator. Her work engages relational practices rooted in sustained collaborations with groups or communities through social, theatrical and textual processes that often operate outside ...

Mark Titchner Mark Titchner (born 1973) is an English artist, and 2006 nominee for the Turner Prize. He lives and works in London. Focusing on an exploration of words and language, in recent years much of his production has been based in the public realm bot ...

, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Mark Wallinger,

Jemima Wyman Jemima Wyman (born 1977) is an Australian contemporary artist best known for her photo collage work. She has also worked with performance and video art. Early life Wyman was born in Mackay and grew up in Queensland. After earning a bachelor's de ...

Ming Wong Ming Wong () is a Singaporean contemporary artist who lives and works in Berlin, known for his re-interpretations of iconic films and performances from world cinema in his video installations, often featuring "miscastings" of himself in roles of ...

, Kohei Yoshiyuki and Akram Zaatari Liverpool Biennial 2012 was curated by

, Artistic Director; ''The Unexpected Guest'' by:

Lorenzo Fusi Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo Stat ...

, Curator, Liverpool Biennial in collaboration with: Sara-Jayne Parsons, the

Bluecoat The bluecoat is a style of dress code, traditionally worn in Bluecoat schools ( English private schools deriving from charity schools). The main element of the bluecoat is a long (dark blue or black) coat, belted at the waist, with white nec ...

;

Mike Stubbs Mike Stubbs is a curator/director and filmmaker based in the UK, currently, the Creative Producer at Doncaster Creates. For 11 years he was the Director/CEO of FACT, the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, a leading arts organisation fo ...

and

Omar Kholeif Omar Kholeif is an Egyptian-born artist, curator, writer and editor. Kholeif's curatorial practice focuses on art that intersects with the internet, as well as works of art from emerging geographic territories that have yet to be seen in the mainstr ...

, FACT;

Karen Newman Karen Newman is a professional singer based in Detroit, Michigan and was the anthem singer of the Detroit Red Wings for more than 30 years. Biography Newman was raised in the Michigan towns of Rochester and Grand Blanc, and was a 1978 graduat ...

, Open Eye Gallery; Sook-Kyung Lee,

and

Jenny Porter Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of h ...

Metal Liverpool A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typical ...

2014

The 8th biennial, ''A Needle Walks into a Haystack'' opened on 5 July 2014 and ran until 26 October 2014} Artists that exhibited as part of ''A Needle Walks into a Haystack'' include: Uri Aran, Marc Bauer, Bonnie Camplin,

Jef Cornelis Jef is a Dutch-language masculine given name primarily used in Belgium. It is a short form of Jozef/ Josef, used also in Breton. People with the name include: *Jef Billings (born 1945), American figure skating costume designer *Jef Boeke (born 19 ...

Carlos Cruz-Diez Carlos Cruz-Diez (17 August 1923 – 27 July 2019) was a Venezuelan artist said by some scholars to have been "one of the greatest artistic innovators of the 20th century." Exhibitions * ''Physichromies de Cruz-Diez: Oeuvres de 1954 à 1965' ...

, Chris Evans, Rana Hamadeh, Louise Hervé & Chloé Maillet, Judith Hopf, Aaron Flint Jamison, Norma Jeane,

Nicola L. Nicola may refer to: People * Nicola (name), including a list of people with the given name or, less commonly, the surname **Nicola (artist) or Nicoleta Alexandru, singer who represented Romania at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest * Nicola people ...

, Sharon Lockhart, William Leavitt,

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading p ...

Michael Nyman Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film scores (many written during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Green ...

, Claude Parent, Christina Ramberg, Michael Stevenson, Josef Strau, Stefan Tcherepnin, Peter Wächtler and Amelie von Wulffen. Liverpool Biennial 2014 was curated by Mai Abu ElDahab and Anthony Huberman. 16 artists' works were shown in The Old Blind School on Hardman St. There were two external works by

, including a Dazzle Ship.

2016

The ninth edition of Liverpool Biennial ran from 9 July 2016 to 16 October 2016. 44 international artists were commissioned to create new works for locations across the city. The artists were: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Andreas Angelidakis, Alisa Baremboym, Lucy Beech, Sarah Browne and Jesse Jones, Mariana Castillo Deball, Yin-Ju Chen, Ian Cheng,

Marvin Gaye Chetwynd Monster Chetwynd (born Alalia Chetwynd, 1973, best known as Spartacus Chetwynd and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd) is a British artist known for reworkings of iconic moments from cultural history in improvised performances. In 2012, she was nominated for ...

, Céline Condorelli, Audrey Cottin, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Jason Dodge, Lara Favaretto, Danielle Freakley, Coco Fusco, Fabien Giraud and Raphaël Siboni, Hato,

Ana Jotta Ana Jotta is a Portuguese artist born in 1946 in Lisbon. Early life Ana Jotta studied art at ESBAL – Escola de Belas Artes de Lisboa (Lisbon) and at La Cambre in Brussels. From 1976 to 1979 Jotta was an actress and a decorator for cinema a ...

, Samson Kambalu, Oliver Laric,

Mark Leckey Mark Leckey (born 1964) is a British contemporary artist. His found object art and video pieces, which incorporate themes of nostalgia and anxiety, and draw on elements of pop culture, span several works and exhibitions. In particular, he is ...

, Adam Linder, Marcos Lutyens, Jumana Manna, Rita McBride, Dennis McNulty, Elena Narbutaite, Lu Pingyuan, Michael Portnoy, Sahej Rahal, Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh & Hesam Rahmanian, Koki Tanaka, Suzanne Treister, Villa Design Group, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Betty Woodman, and Arseny Zhilyaev. In 2016, Liverpool Biennial also presented an exhibition of works by ten Associate Artists, based in the North of England: Simeon Barclay, Jacqueline Bebb, Lindsey Bull, Robert Carter & Lauren Velvick, Nina Chua, Matthew Crawley,

Frances Disley Frances Disley is a print-maker, artist and curator based in Liverpool. Her work explores colour and form as well as having a strong connection with natural history. Personal life and education Frances Disley was born in Warrington in 1976. In ...

, Daniel Fogarty, Harry Meadley, and Stephen Sheehan. The Liverpool Biennial 2016 exhibition was conceived as a series of 'episodes' drawing inspiration from Liverpool's past, present and future, named as ''Ancient Greece'', ''Chinatown'', ''The Children’s Episode'', ''Monuments from the Future'', ''Flashback'', and ''Software''. Among the locations for Liverpool Biennial 2016 were the Cains Brewery on Stanhope Street, the former ABC Cinema on Lime Street, the Oratory, Toxteth Reservoir, streets, squares, restaurants, a supermarket, and all the key visual art venues in the city including Tate Liverpool, FACT, Open Eye Gallery and Bluecoat. Also presented during the 2016 Biennial are the John Moores Painting Prize 2016 at Walker Art Gallery, Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2016 at Bluecoat, and the Biennial Fringe. Liverpool Biennial 2016 was curated by Sally Tallant, Dominic Willsdon, Francesco Manacorda, Raimundas Malasauskas, Joasia Krysa, Rosie Cooper, Polly Brannan, Francesca Bertolotti-Bailey, Ying Tan, Sandeep Parmar, and Steven Cairns.

2018

The 2018 Biennial ran from 14 July to 28 October 2018 and was called ''Beautiful world, where are you?''. Artists included Ryan Gander, Suki Seokyeong Kang, and Melanie Smith.

2021

The 11th biennial, ''The Stomach and the Port'' ran from 20 March to 6 June 2021 in Liverpool and online. Artists include

Linder Linder may refer to: Places *Linder (river), Bavaria, Germany * Linder Peak, Antarctica * Linder Glacier, Antarctica *Linder Township, Greene County, Illinois People Surname *Alex Linder (born 1966), founder of Vanguard News Network * Allan Linde ...

Judy Chicago Judy Chicago (born Judith Sylvia Cohen; July 20, 1939) is an American feminist artist, art educator, and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces about birth and creation images, which examine the role of women in history ...

, Ithell Colquhoun, Ines Doujak,

Jutta Koether Jutta Koether (born 1958) is a German artist, musician and critic based in New York City and Berlin

Ebony G. Patterson Ebony G. Patterson (born 1981, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born visual artist and educator. She is known for her large and colorful tapestries created out of various materials such as, glitter, sequins, fabric, toys, beads, faux flowers, je ...

, Anu Põder, and

Martine Syms Martine Syms (born 1988) is an American artist based in Los Angeles who works in publishing, video, installation, and performance. Her work focuses on identity and the portrayal of the self in relation to themes such as feminism and Black cult ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 53.409, -2.981, display=title Art biennials British biennial events Contemporary art exhibitions Cultural organisations based in Liverpool English contemporary art Events in Liverpool Festivals in Liverpool 1999 establishments in England