The title and theme of the 13th Liverpool Biennial will be ‘BEDROCK’. Curated by Marie-Anne McQuay, the next edition of the UK’s largest festival of free art will take place from 7 June to 15 September 2025. Its theme references the city’s distinctive geography and the sandstone found in its architecture, while also acting as a metaphor for the social fondations of Liverpool and its inhabitants.
‘The city’s geological foundations and its psyche have provided the starting point for the conversations of Liverpool Biennial 2025, with the invited artists bringing us their own definition of “BEDROCK”’, McQuay said. ‘Definitions which include family and chosen family, cultural heritage carried across the generations, and the environments that nurture and restore them. Central to this understanding of BEDROCK is the sense of loss that comes from the ongoing legacies of colonialism and empire so formative to Liverpool’s foundations.’
30 artists and collectives will present new commissions and existing artwork at galleries across the city, including the Bluecoat, FACT Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery and Tate Liverpool. Venues added for the 2025 festival include Liverpool Cathedral, Walker Art Gallery and Liverpool Central Library.
The participating artists for Liverpool Biennial 2025 are:
Alice Rekab (Ireland/Sierra Leone); Amber Akaunu (UK/Nigeria); Amy Claire Mills (Australia); Ana Navas (Venezuela/Ecuador/Netherlands); Anna Gonzalez Noguchi (Spain/Japan/UK); Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic (Netherlands/Panama/Serbia); Cevdet Erek (Turkey); ChihChung Chang 張致中 (Taiwan/Netherlands); Christine Sun Kim (USA); DARCH (India/Somaliland/Wales); Dawit L. Petros (Eritrea/Canada/USA); Elizabeth Price (UK); Fred Wilson (USA); Hadassa Ngamba (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium); Imayna Caceres (Peru/Austria); Isabel Nolan (Ireland); Jennifer Tee (Netherlands); Kara Chin (UK/Singapore); Katarzyna Perlak (Poland/UK); Karen Tam 譚嘉文(Canada); Leasho Johnson (USA/Jamaica); Linda Lamignan (Nigeria/Norway); Maria Loizidou (Cyprus); Mounira Al Solh (Lebanon); Nandan Ghiya (India); Nour Bishouty (Lebanon/Jordan/Palestine/Canada); Odur Ronald (Uganda); Petros Moris (Greece); Sheila Hicks (USA); Widline Cadet (Haiti/USA).
