Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Success for Liverpool Biennial 2012

Liverpool Biennial 2012, the largest international contemporary arts festival in the UK, has just finished its successful ten-week run programme of exhibitions, commissions and events involving 242 artists in 27 galleries, museums and different locations across the city. This year’s Biennial was the first under its new director, Sally Tallant.

A preliminary report by England’s Northwest Research Services indicates 686,000 people visited the Biennial, its highest figure since Liverpool was European Capital of Culture in 2008.

This year the Biennial explored ideas of hospitality under the title of The Unexpected Guest. Leading and emerging artists were commissioned to make site-specific works across the city as well as long-term community-based projects. Sky Arts Ignition Series presented The Source, in partnership with Tate Liverpool, a major public commission by Doug Aitken, installed on Albert Dock in a temporary structure designed by leading architect David Adjaye—The Source continues on view until 13 January 2013; composer Rhys Chatham, renowned for his large-scale performance works, presented A Crimson Grail for 100 guitars and basses as part of the opening weekend to an audience of 2,200 people; Elmgreen & Dragset premiered a work examining the hierarchy of values and meritocracy established by celebrity culture and Oded Hirsch presented a work bursting through the pavement of the Liverpool ONE shopping centre. City States brought together 40 artists from 13 cities, exploring the dynamics between cities and states with new and existing work from: Birmingham; Copenhagen; Gdansk; Hong Kong, Incheon, Lisbon, Makhachkala, Oslo, Reykjavik, Nuuk and Tórshavn; St. Petersburg; Taipei; Vilnius and Wellington.

Bloomberg New Contemporaries showcased the best contemporary work from art schools around the UK. The exhibition can now be seen at the ICA, London until 13 January 2013.

The John Moores Painting Prize, won this year by Sarah Pickstone, is the most celebrated contemporary painting prize worldwide, and presented at the Walker Art Gallery. The exhibition continues until 6 January 2013.

Liverpool Biennial
PO Box 1200, 55 Jordan Street
Liverpool L69 1XB
T 00 44 (0) 0151 709 7444
www.biennial.com