18 September 2008

The fifth Biennial opens to the public

LIVERPOOL BIENNIAL 2008
20 September – 30 November 2008

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of its foundation by James Moores, the fifth edition of Liverpool Biennial is even more impressive in scale and ambition than its predecessors, and a key event in Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008.

As a result of previous Biennials, Liverpool’s art organisations have accumulated huge experience in commissioning ambitious and challenging new artworks by leading international artists for gallery and non-gallery spaces. This enables them to realise exhibitions of a scale and ambition not to be found elsewhere in the UK, making Liverpool Biennial an example to others worldwide and a magnet to art lovers and professionals.

MADE UP is the title of the 2008 Biennial’s International exhibition, an exploration of the ecology of the artistic imagination. MADE UP will include narrative, fantasy, myths, lies, prophesies, subversion, spectacle, and the ambiguous territory between the real and unreal. It’s a reaction to the pervasive documentary focus of much contemporary art, highlighting instead the emotional charge within artistic imagination and our fascination and need for ‘making things up’.

Liverpool Biennial continues to place an emphasis on commissioning new work from leading international artists. Consisting of around 40 projects (32 new commissions with eight bodies of work previously unseen in the UK) MADE UP is presented across multiple venues: the Bluecoat, FACT (Foundation for Art & Creative Technology), Open Eye and Tate Liverpool, with half the exhibition sited in public spaces across the city. The curators for MADE UP are drawn from each of the partner venues and led by Liverpool Biennial Artistic Director, Lewis Biggs.

Other lead programmes in the 2008 Liverpool Biennial festival are:

John Moores 25 Exhibition of Contemporary Painting: celebrating its 50th year as the UK's most prestigious national open painting competition. Organised by National Museums Liverpool and supported by John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust and A Foundation, the exhibition has been hosted by the Walker Art Gallery since 1957. Celebrating the vitality of contemporary British painting, it is open to artists living and working in the UK and in 2008 offers a first prize of £25,000. The jurors are art critic and curator Sacha Craddock, with artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, Graham Crowley, and Paul Morrison.

Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2008: the annual exhibition by students and recent graduates of Fine Art
colleges throughout the UK; selected this year by artists Richard Billington, Ceal Floyer and Ken Lum. Established in 1949, New Contemporaries is recognised for supporting new work and artists at the start of their professional careers.

Liverpool Culture Company Contemporary Art Commissions: A series of major new public art projects
commissioned by Liverpool Biennial in partnership with the Liverpool Culture Company as part of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture Programme will be on show in the city and its neighbourhoods at the same time as the Biennial.

Greenland Street and the Independents Biennial: an effervescent and myriad programme of exhibitions,
realised by independent and artist-led organisations, with Greenland Street and A Foundation playing a major role.

Lewis Biggs, Director of Liverpool Biennial, said: “The ambition and scale of the programmes in this year’s
festival will crown Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, more than repaying the support of the NWDA, Arts Council England Northwest and the Liverpool Culture Company. In particular the curatorial team for MADE UP has organised an exceptionally strong exhibition of new commissions, including 6 by artists who have previously represented their country at the Venice Biennale, and another 3 who are currently exhibiting in the Venice Architecture Biennale (not to mention those who will represent their countries at future Venice Biennales!).”

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the Northwest Regional
Development Agency (NWDA), said: “The NWDA is delighted to be able to support the fifth Liverpool Biennial, which as one of the flagship events of the Capital of Culture programme promises to be the best yet. Major events such as this are helping to put England’s Northwest on the international map. The Biennial has built up a fantastic reputation over the years and with the added profile of Liverpool 08 it provides an unrivalled opportunity to showcase this creative region to a worldwide audience.”

Michael Eakin, Executive Director at Arts Council England, North West, said: “As one of the major funders of Liverpool Biennial, Arts Council England recognises it as one of the most significant international arts events in the UK. It has grown in stature with every year, and 2008 looks set to be the most successful to date, both artistically and in terms of visitor numbers. It is yet another superb highlight of this extraordinary year in Liverpool.”

Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council and Deputy Chairman of Liverpool Culture
Company, said: ''Liverpool Biennial has grown into one of Europe's most vibrant visual arts festivals and is at the vanguard of Liverpool's international reputation for cutting-edge culture. This Biennial has been the most eagerly awaited and the programme looks set to be a blockbuster. I'm sure it will more than match the heightened expectations that have grown with each major Capital of Culture event and help end the year on a fantastic high.''

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Notes to Editors:

The Liverpool Biennial 2008 festival of contemporary visual art is presented by Liverpool Biennial, with the Walker Art Gallery (National Museums Liverpool), John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust, and New Contemporaries at Greenland Street (A Foundation). It involves many smaller city centre galleries and alternative spaces.

Established in 1998, Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest and most widely reviewed festival of contemporary visual art, and contributed significantly to the award of the title European Capital of Culture 2008 to the city of Liverpool. It is a major player in the cultural economy: the 2006 festival received 400,000 visitors, 50% travelling from outside the Merseyside region and created an additional £13.5m spend in the city. The 2004 festival won the Northwest regional title Best Tourism Event
and was runner up (to The London Eye) for the accolade Best Tourism Experience in the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence organised by Visit Britain.

The Liverpool Culture Company was established by Liverpool City Council in 2000 to lead the city’s bid to be European Capital of Culture 2008. In June 2003, following a two-year nationwide competition featuring 12 cities, Liverpool was chosen as the UK’s representative for 2008. The programme for 2008 includes more than 350 events and festivals – many of which are free – delivered in collaboration with major cultural institutions, artists, performers and venues throughout Liverpool and beyond. For more information visit www.liverpool08.com.